Beyond Reason
by ijustkeepswimming
Summary: Charlie and Angelo have broken up hooray! and Charlie keeps disappearing. Where is she going and who is she seeing? Set during Charlie and Angelo's last breakup, you know, the one that should have lasted! Forever!
1. Chapter 1

_Hello! Welcome to my new story! This is set during Charlie and Angelo's last break up, when he oh-so-romantically stalked her. *offers a disgusted expression*. It's based on the question... what if Charlie hadn't been seeing a counsellor? What if she was seeing someone else? The first chapter is all from Angelo's perspective and then in the following chapters, we'll find out exactly what mysterious Charlie has been up to. I hope you like it! Feedback always appreciated! Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter One**

Sergeant Angelo Rosetta stared at the closed door for a long time. He tapped his pen against his hand thoughtfully and sighed. His now ex-girlfriend, Leading Senior Constable Charlie Buckton had excused herself in order to answer a phone call. She'd taken a while to answer and just stared at her mobile as it rang. Then she'd stepped out of the room, returning only to grab her bag and tell him that she was going on her break, that it might run over and she'd make it up tonight. Then she was gone. Just like that. And Angelo couldn't keep from wondering where she'd gone to. Charlie had never been the most open of people. It was a part of her that he'd struggled to accept and knew she'd worked hard with right up until she'd dumped him. Still he wasn't entire sure how the break up had happened. One minute they'd been on holiday and then come home to the news that they were being promoted and he was allowed to stick around in Summer Bay. She'd been jealous of him being promoted above her but had eventually accepted it and apologised. And while he'd believed everything in his life was getting better and better and taken the step to ask her to move in together, she'd panicked. Then he'd come up with this theory about how she sabotaged all her relationships. He'd meant to challenge her, to make her see that she was pushing him away for no good reason. But she'd argued and then agreed and then broken his heart for what felt like the millionth time. At first he'd behaved like a child and ignored her and then when he'd healed his pride enough, he'd tried to make amends, only for Charlie to ignore him right back. Now they were trying out the friendship thing and he hoped that it might turn into more, although when he'd asked her out to dinner last week, she'd turned him down. While he was sure a reconciliation was on the cards, he didn't think it would be any time in the near future. He missed her. And now he desperately wanted to know what was keeping her away from the station this afternoon. Who had phoned? Why were they so important?

* * *

That evening, a dissatisfied Angelo headed down to the Surf Club to drown his sorrows. Alf Stewart, Summer Bay stalwart had become his confidante in all things Charlie and he was keener than ever to get his advice. Charlie had indeed returned back late from lunch. An hour late. He'd tried to engage her in conversation and ask her what she'd been up to but she'd shot him down and merely told him it was private. That hurt. Once upon a time, he had been part of her private life. They'd worked and played together and he had been so happy. But now it seemed like with every passing moment, Charlie was drifting further and further away from him.

"You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders," Alf said as Angelo slumped onto a bar stool. "Let me guess. Charlie?"

Angelo sighed.

"As ever," he said.

"What's happened now?"

"She disappeared at lunch time," Angelo explained.

Alf feigned shock and horror.

"She got this phone call," he said. "And she just left and she didn't come back for ages."

"Mate, I know you don't want to hear this but..."

"Charlie and I aren't together anymore and it's none of my business what she does and who she talks to," Angelo concluded sadly.

Alf handed the beer over.

"I hate to say it but... yeah."

Angelo nodded but didn't feel any happier about things.

"I just miss her," he said. "And after... after she came back she looked... she looked so happy."

"Isn't it a good thing that she's happy?" Alf asked.

"Not if the person making her feel that way isn't me," Angelo said, not caring how selfish he sounded.

* * *

The following morning, Angelo sat alone in his office. He wasn't so much working as staring at Charlie's vacant chair. She was due in after lunch and he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing and who she was doing it with. He just couldn't shake the feeling that she was with someone else. Sighing, he forced himself to concentrate on what he was meant to be doing.

* * *

After lunch, Angelo ensured that he was at his desk for when Charlie arrived. She breezed into the office and said a cheerful hello.

"Hey," he replied. "Did you have a good morning?"

She smiled brightly.

"Yeah," she said. "Pretty good."

"What... uh... what did you get up to?"

Charlie busied herself with a pile of paperwork and shrugged.

"Nothing in particular," she said. "How about you?"

"Just... work," he said, unhappy not to have got anything out of her.

She nodded and continued with her work. Suddenly she stood up.

"I'm missing coffee," she said. "I need coffee for desk work. Do you want something?"

"Yeah," he said. "That'd be great. Thanks. Can I get a..."

"Latte," Charlie interrupted. "I do remember these things, you know."

She smiled cheerfully and headed out to the coffee machine she was so well acquainted with. Angelo sat back and stared after her. She was certainly in a better mood than usual and he couldn't quite feel happy about it. Suspicions over what she was getting up to outside of work were preying on his mind too much and making him suspicious.

* * *

It was early evening. Charlie looked up at Angelo and reminded him that his shift finished in a few minutes.

"I'm just going to stay and catch up on a few things," he told her, studying his computer screen.

"Okay," she nodded.

He turned to look at her, searching for any kind of reaction.

"I've not really got anything to go home to," he added.

She looked up sharply and he was sure he detected guilt or regret in her eyes. It passed quickly but it gave him a little bit of hope.

"What are you up to when you finish your shift?" he asked.

"Not much," she replied, getting back to work. "I don't finish till nine thirty so I'll probably just crash."

He kept looking at her, wondering if she was telling the truth. They both jumped when her phone beeped. She had a text message. Unashamedly, Angelo watched her pick the phone up. He watched her smile, ponder a response for a moment and then text back. She was still smiling. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked at him.

"Ruby," she said.

He nodded and returned to his work.

* * *

At nine thirty on the dot, Charlie packed up, said goodnight and left the station. Angelo waited a few moments and followed her. Keeping quiet and shielded by the darkness, he got into his car, wondering the whole time what on earth he was doing. He started his engine the same time Charlie did and waited a few moments before he followed her out of the car park. She didn't go home. She headed down to the docks, parking almost in the same place as he had when she'd been hit by the car that time. He furrowed his brow as she climbed out, headed up to a house and knocked on the front door.


	2. Chapter 2

_Woohoo! Nathan left Big Brother. So here, as promised is your extra update. As a side note, writing fic with my CJ hamsters is hilarious. They're absolutely rampant for each other. Their cages are side by side but I've had to move Charlie to the other side of the room because their squeaking (a mating call) is just too much. Poor little buggers. But in terms of being named Charlie and Joey, it's quite amusing. Ruby keeps trying to eat them. Or maybe she's trying to snuggle. I'm not entirely sure but she looks terribly guilty every time I catch her gazing at them!_

_Anyway, on with the fic. Thanks for giving the story a chance. I've said it before but I always get nervous when I post a new one. This chapter starts off in the same place that the first chapter did but this is the tale from Charlie's perspective. We get to find out who called her and what she got up to during her extended lunch break! I hope you like it. Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter Two**

So far, it had been a boring and monotonous day at work. Charlie was desk bound with a heap of reports that needed finishing. It was her least favourite part of the job. And added to that, she was feeling the pressure of Angelo's stare all the time. Things were awkward to say the least and she had no earthly idea how to handle things. He'd ignored her and then she'd ignored him and now they were friends but she wasn't entirely sure it was working. They'd had a lovely day together the previous week but then he'd been hurt when he'd asked her out for dinner and she'd turned him down. And now she didn't know how to be around him. She was sure that breaking up had been the right move but he obviously didn't feel the same way. Awkward was an understatement. She looked at her watch and pondered going for lunch. A break was definitely needed. She was just about to get up when her mobile rang. She picked it up off the desk and checked the name. Her heart leapt into her throat. With trembling fingers and a racing heart, she answered.

"Hello?" she said meekly.

"Hi," came the reply. "It's me."

Charlie didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"How... how are you?" she asked.

She looked up to see Angelo watching her. Needing privacy, however the conversation turned out, Charlie escaped the office and out of the station.

"I'm okay," Joey replied. "How are you?"

"I'm... I'm..."

Charlie had no idea what to say. How was she? She didn't think she'd known the answer to that question for a very long time.

"I hope you don't mind me calling?"

"Of course not!" Charlie said quickly. "It's... it's so good to hear your voice. How are you? Wait, I asked that already. Um..."

She felt like an idiot as she rambled on without pausing for breath. She smiled self consciously as she heard Joey chuckle softly at the end of the line.

"I'm back in the Bay," she said. "I don't know how long for but... can I see you?"

"I'd love to see you," Charlie said honestly. "When? I'm at work but I could take my break now. Where?"

All her questions were coming out in a rush. Just hearing Joey's voice was enough to send her mind into a spin. And to hear that she wanted to see her and that she didn't sound like she hated her, made her heart soar.

"I'm staying at Brett's," Joey said.

"Will he...?" Charlie began worriedly.

"He's out for the rest of the afternoon," Joey assured her. "Will you come?"

"I'm already on my way," Charlie said.

They said their goodbyes and Charlie raced back into the building a little breathlessly. Angelo was immediately intrigued but she couldn't explain.

"I'm taking my break," she said, grabbing her bag and keys. "I might be back late but I'll make it up tonight."

"Where are you...?" Angelo tried.

But Charlie was already gone. She hurried to her car and pulled out of the car park before she'd even got her seatbelt on properly. She couldn't believe that Joey Collins had really come home, even temporarily. And she couldn't believe that she'd actually called her and wanted to see her. Charlie had dreamt of this day so many times. She pulled up outside the house she'd parked outside so many times when she'd picked Joey up and dropped her off before, during their friendship and relationship. Taking a deep breath, Charlie attempted to psyche herself up. After a few moments, she climbed out of the car and walked nervously up to the front door. She knocked too quietly the first time and then began to worry about whether she ought to knock again or not. Just as she was about to, the door opened. Charlie couldn't help but stare as the most beautiful person she'd ever met stood in front of her. She licked her lips and studied Joey's face. She was tanned and her hair was a little shorter than before, just past her shoulders. Her eyes were bright and Charlie knew she could get lost in them all over again if she wasn't careful. She smiled, deciding she didn't want to be careful.

"You look beautiful," Charlie said honestly.

Joey looked pleased and surprised by the compliment.

"I was thinking the same thing about you," she replied.

She gazed at Charlie. She was in uniform but at some point after leaving the station, she'd taken her hair down and it was now cascading over her shoulders. She'd almost forgotten how stunning she was and found she was struggling to look away from her crystal blue eyes. She smiled at the blush rising in Charlie's cheeks.

"Come in," she said.

Charlie followed and waited politely while Joey shut the door and began to fuss about making drinks. Charlie told her she didn't want anything. She said it was because she'd had coffee at the station but in reality, she was so nervous that she was afraid of spilling.

"Okay," Joey said, leading the way through to the living room. "Well, we can just sit then."

They perched on either end of the sofa, both at the edge and both feeling tense. Joey licked her lips and struggled for a moment over what to say. She'd been feeling so confident up until now but with Charlie right there in front of her, she took her breath away.

"I've missed you," Charlie ventured.

"Even with your boyfriend?" Joey asked.

Charlie looked startled and guilt washed over her.

"It's okay, Charlie," she said. "I've been gone for a year. You're entitled to see other people."

They smiled shyly at each other.

"We broke up a few weeks ago," she said.

"Perfect timing," Joey said with a teasing smile that made Charlie bush.

She wondered silently if they could be together again. So much had happened and so much time had passed. Could they move on? Could they do it together?

"For the record," Charlie said. "I've always missed you. Whether I've been dating someone else or not, you've always been in my heart."

She gazed into Joey's eyes, more than willing to lay her soul bare.

"You're a pretty impossible person to get over," she added.

Joey smiled.

"Ditto," she said.

Charlie felt the strangest of sensations wash over her at the compliment and the way Joey looked at her. She seemed different somehow. And yet in so many ways she seemed the same.

"Have you... I mean, have you had other girlfriends and... stuff?" Charlie dared to ask.

"I wouldn't exactly call them girlfriends," Joey said. "But yeah, I have. I've changed a lot from the person you knew."

"How?"

"I'm stronger," she said. "I'm able to stand on my own two feet. I know who I am and what I want. I don't need anyone to protect me anymore."

She moved a little closer, not breaking eye contact. Barely breathing, she took both of Charlie's hands in hers. Charlie's lip trembled as she struggled to find some kind of response. What did Joey want? Was it her? She couldn't bear to dare to hope.

"So, the question now is... what do you want, Charlie?"

Charlie leant forward without thinking. She pressed her lips against Joey's. Joey dropped her hands to wrap her arms around her. They kissed with all the passion, love and grief that they'd been holding onto for so long. It was a long time before either of them drew away.


	3. Chapter 3

_Here is an extra chapter as I'm not sure I was very clear in the last chapter. These current chapters essentially run in parallel to the first chapter. The first chapter covered two days from Angelo's perspective. Chapter two and three cover the first day from Charlie's perspective and the next ones will follow the next day. It'll continue until we have another Angelo chapter. And then we'll go back and see that same day from Charlie's perspective. I hope that makes sense! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Three**

Charlie felt like she was in a dream world as she drove back to work. She and Joey had kissed and cuddled for over an hour before Charlie had been forced to go back to work. It had been amazing and she wished she could have stayed. She had almost forgotten how good it felt to be back in her arms. Almost. Now she felt like she was finally back where she belonged. The girls had arranged to see each other the next morning. Charlie was due into work at lunch time and was excited at the prospect of getting to spend several hours with the love of her life. She hadn't thought it was possible but Joey was even more beautiful than before. The image of her standing in the doorway in blue jeans and a red-sleeveless top that showed off all her curves and assets, was etched in Charlie's memory. In the car park, Charlie pulled a mirror out and redid her hair. She remembered Joey telling her, when they'd dated the first time, that she loved her hair when it was down so she'd taken it out of the band in some small bid to make Joey feel attracted to her. She smiled to think that it had worked. Dragging herself out of the car and into the station, she waved at Watson on the reception desk and said hello. Then she headed into her office. Angelo was sitting at his desk but didn't look like he was actually doing anything. He turned around and greeted her with warmth.

"How was your lunch?"

Charlie couldn't help but smile.

"It was good," she said.

Sitting down and pondered over which task to start first.

"What did you get up to?" he asked.

She blanched. How on earth was she ever going to tell Angelo that she and Joey were back together? Were she and Joey even back together at all? They'd made out, said how much they missed each other and arranged to hang out again the next day but neither of them had talked about commitment and a relationship. But still, she hoped something would come of it. She hoped Joey would let her into her heart again. And this time, she was determined to get things right.

"Just... lunch," Charlie lied.

No food had passed her lips since this morning. She'd been far too distracted for that.

"Not much."

"How come it took so long?" he asked.

She looked at him directly.

"It's private," she said.

He looked wounded. Charlie felt guilty but couldn't bring herself to be nicer. She couldn't explain the situation to herself, let alone to him. For now, she just wanted to be with Joey. She wanted to hold her, kiss her, tell her how she felt about her, make love to her. And she needed to talk to her about where they stood. There was no point Angelo knowing about it until she knew what was going on.

* * *

It was the end of the day. Angelo had left a few moments earlier and now Charlie was packing up to go home. Things had been more than a little awkward between them that afternoon. Charlie was away with the fairies daydreaming about Joey and Angelo had been watching her every move. He'd asked her to go for a drink with him but she'd said she just wanted to get home but thanked him very politely. He'd left soon after that. Just as she was heading out of the office, her phone beeped. She opened the message.

_I suddenly find myself home alone for the evening. Are you busy? J xx_

Charlie grinned. She put her stuff down and hurriedly texted back.

_Ten minutes. C xx_

Then she hurried to her car. She stopped off to buy some flowers, hoping that Joey wouldn't laugh at or reject her. Pulling up outside the house, Charlie let her hair out again and headed towards the door. She'd barely knocked when Joey opened up. Charlie offered out the flowers. Joey accepted them, smiling and feeling touched. She welcomed Charlie inside and as soon as the door was shut, they fell into an embrace.

"Is it sad that I really missed you this afternoon?" Charlie asked.

Joey smiled. She definitely liked the side to Charlie that allowed her to say such sweet things.

"Only if it's sad that I missed you," Joey said.

They kissed tenderly and then Charlie followed Joey into the kitchen. She hovered while Joey set about putting the flowers in water, thanking her and telling her they were beautiful.

"Have you eaten?" Joey asked.

Charlie shook her head.

"Good because I cooked for you."

They smiled sweetly at each other. Charlie moved across the room to hold her. She kissed her again, wrapping her arms around her and wanting to keep her in her arms forever.

* * *

It was late. Charlie and Joey had eaten the bouillabaisse that Joey had made for Charlie once while they were dating before. They'd finished their meals, abandoned the dishes and found their way up to Joey's bedroom. Lying on the bed, they'd been kissing for hours. Every time she touched her, Charlie's heart raced.

"I feel like a teenager," Joey giggled.

She reached up and brushed Charlie's hair out of her face.

"Except you're way hotter than any other girl," she added. "In fact, you're hotter than all the girls on the planet put together."

Charlie blushed and kissed her. She nuzzled into her neck, kissing her there. She heard Joey moan and wondered how she could ever have thought this was wrong. Being here with Joey was perfect.

"Even hotter than the girls you dated after me?" she asked, seeking assurance.

"Definitely," Joey promised.

She lifted Charlie's chin and kissed her lips.

"Were there a lot?" Charlie asked.

Joey studied her face, suddenly seeing so much uncertainty and anxiety in her eyes.

"I guess," she said. "I didn't... well, I didn't so much have relationships as flings and one night stands."

Charlie looked surprised. It wasn't like her.

"I thought you didn't like that kind of thing..." she ventured.

"I changed. I was... I was afraid of getting my heart broken."

Charlie sighed and looked guilty.

"Because I hurt you so much," she concluded.

Joey shrugged.

"That doesn't matter now," she said.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Joey," Charlie said earnestly. "I hate myself for what I..."

Joey put her finger to her lips to silence her.

"It doesn't matter now," she said.

"But..."

"It doesn't matter. What's done is done, Charlie. I just want to make things work now."

They gazed at each other for several moments and Joey dropped her finger.

"Do you want to be with me, Charlie?" she asked.

They were both reminded of that night in the car when she'd asked the same question. All Joey could hope was that she'd say yes again.

"I do," Charlie said. "I really do. I want to make this work, Joey. I love you."

Joey smiled and pulled her in for another kiss.

* * *

By midnight, Charlie and Joey were both sleepy. They'd stayed on the bed, kissing and getting to know each other again. Now, Joey was on her back and Charlie was curled into her. Both had their eyes shut but they kept stroking each other's skin and hair, offering gentle kisses now and again. They jumped when they heard the front door slam.

"I forgot about Brett," Joey admitted.

Charlie sat up, feeling flustered. She didn't think anyone in the world hated her more than Brett did. Frightened, she searched Joey's face.

"This window is pretty easy to get out of," she said.

"You want me to climb out of your window?" Charlie squeaked.

"Do you really want to saunter past my brother?"

Charlie sighed.

"Good point," she said.

They made their way over to the window. Opening it up, Joey turned back to Charlie.

"Tomorrow morning?" she asked.

Charlie nodded. Joey pulled her in for a kiss that took both their breaths away.

"Or you could just stay..." she suggested with a smirk.

"And get killed?" Charlie laughed. "I don't think so!"

Joey laughed and kissed her again. Charlie climbed onto the sill as they heard Brett calling his sister's name.

"See you in the morning," Joey said as Charlie climbed out and onto the flat roof of the porch below. "And uh... wear something that's easy to take off."

Charlie stumbled in surprise, catching the wicked look on Joey's face. She grinned and kissed her, promising that she would do just that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Charlie brushed down her clothes before knocking on Joey's front door. Her breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of Joey. Her girlfriend's hair was loose and beautiful and she was wearing nothing but a short, satin dressing gown. Her legs were bare, long and slender and the gown teased a view of cleavage. Charlie just stared.

"It's rude to stare, you know," Joey smirked.

Charlie blushed and laughed.

"Sorry," she said. "You just look... wow."

Joey beamed at her and beckoned her inside. Still staring at Joey's body, Charlie followed her in. She fell into her arms the moment the door was shut. Nudging Joey against the wall separating the living room from the kitchen, Charlie kissed her fervently. Finally, they pulled away, breathless. Joey looked Charlie up and down. Charlie had donned a pair of shorts that required no belts, zips or buttons. On Joey's advice, she'd worn something easily removable. On top, she wore a white sleeveless top and Joey had already clocked that she wasn't wearing a bra.

"You look pretty hot yourself," Joey purred, reaching up to tease Charlie's chest a little.

She enjoyed the reaction and lust surged within both of them. They kissed again and then ran up the stairs giggling. In Joey's bedroom, they left the door open as they kissed their way to the bed. Joey paused to gaze into Charlie's eyes. She stroked her face.

"I've missed you," she said sincerely.

Charlie smiled and kissed her.

"I've missed you too," she replied. "And I can't wait to show you how much."

Kissing her once more, Charlie nudged Joey onto the bed. Eagerly, she pulled on the cord of Joey's dressing gown, letting the slippery material fall open. Joey held her breath as she saw Charlie observing her. She hoped she was up to par.

"You're even more beautiful than I remember," Charlie almost whispered.

She gazed into Joey's soulful brown eyes.

"How is that even possible?" she wondered.

Joey smiled. She ran her hands up Charlie's back, reaching into her hair and pulling it free. Charlie shook her hair out and Joey enjoyed the way it tumbled over her shoulders. She ran her hands back down and over Charlie's almost bare chest. Reaching the top of Charlie's shorts, she helped them down her legs. Charlie stepped out of them and whipped off her top. She kicked herself out of her sandals and Joey's eyes widened at how stunning she was, standing there in nothing but a thong. Reaching out to pull her in, Joey settled her arms on Charlie's waist and kissed her. Charlie covered Joey's body with her own as their lips met again and again and their hands began to roam.

* * *

Later, lying in each other's arms in bed, Charlie didn't think she'd ever felt so content in her life before. She lay on her back with Joey curled into her, stroking her hair. She kissed the top of her head and told her that she loved her. Joey rested on Charlie's bare chest and placed a delicate kiss between her breasts. She moved to gaze at Charlie. A smile teased her lips.

"I'm so glad I called you," she said.

Charlie's smile widened.

"So am I," she said. "I'm so, so glad and so, so happy."

They moved in for another kiss.

* * *

Charlie reluctantly showered and changed into her uniform. Joey leant her a hairdryer to fix her hair and stayed temptingly alluring in her dressing gown, watching her. Charlie sank onto her knees in front of her, parting Joey's legs to wedge her hips between them, excitedly aware that Joey wasn't wearing underwear. She put her arms around her and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I really wish I didn't have to go to work," she admitted.

"So, stay here!" Joey suggested brightly.

Charlie laughed and said she wished she could. Unhappily, she stood and headed for the door. Joey followed her down the stairs and to the front door where they stopped to kiss goodbye.

"When will I see you again?" Charlie asked eagerly.

"When do you want to?"

"Now?"

Joey laughed and pointed out that they had already established that she needed to go to work.

"How about tomorrow?" Charlie asked. "I'm working until lunch time but then I have the rest of the day off."

Joey smiled.

"Tomorrow sounds good," she said. "Enjoy your shift."

"Almost a whole day without you is going to be hell," Charlie said flatly.

She pouted. Joey kissed her lips and nudged her to the front door, warning her not to be late for work or for her visit the following day.

* * *

Charlie had had a boring day at work so far, made worse by the way Angelo continued to gaze at her. She felt guilty around him, like she was cheating or something. She wasn't. She and Angelo were firmly broken up and she was fully entitled to see whoever she wanted. But she was painfully aware that her ex-boyfriend still held out some kind of hope that they could make things work. Once upon a time, he had asked her what would happen when Joey came back. She didn't know then. But now, she felt like she should have known all along that if it was a choice between Joey and anyone, even Angelo, Joey would always win. Joey was the love of her life and she was so grateful to get a second chance to prove that. As the early evening rolled around, Charlie was aware that Angelo was due to finish his shift while she had several hours to go. When it looked like he had lost track of time, she reminded him.

"I'm just going to stay and catch up on a few things," he replied, not looking up from the computer monitor.

"Okay," she replied before returning to her own work.

"I've not really got anything to go home to," he added.

Charlie looked up sharply to find him looking at her with his heart on his sleeve. She wondered if she was meant to feel guilty or wrong for not wanting to be with him. But she didn't. She loved Joey and she wasn't going to apologise for it – although she thought she ought to tell him the truth soon. It would be terrible if he found out some other way. It would be wrong of her and she really didn't want to hurt him. He changed the subject moderately by asking what she was up to after work.

"Not much," she told him. "I don't finish till nine thirty so I'll probably just crash."

It was disappointingly true. She had wanted to go and see Joey but Brett was home in the evenings and she really was quite tired. Angelo continued to gaze at her. She met his eyes and the silence of the room was interrupted by Charlie's phone beeping. Charlie picked it up and read the text message.

_Miracles do happen. Brett has a date. So would you like to come round and be mine? Joey xxx_

A happy smile spread across Charlie's face. Suddenly she didn't feel tired at all. Chewing her lip, she pondered over what to say.

_I'll be there and I can't wait. Charlie xxx_

It wasn't exactly the wittiest response she could think of but she was eager to let Joey know she was coming. She was always aware of the way Angelo was watching her. Sending the text, she looked back up at him.

"Ruby," she lied.

He nodded and returned to his work, as did she.

* * *

Joey waited patiently at home for Charlie. At quarter to ten there was a knock on her door. Bounding down the stairs, she attempted to look cool, calm and collected as she pulled open the door and welcomed Charlie inside. They closed the door and kissed tenderly.

"Have you eaten?" Joey asked.

Charlie shook her head.

"Good because I made you some dinner."

Charlie smiled at the way Joey had such a tendency to look after her. She was wonderful at playing mother hen. In a hot kind of way. Joey led her into the kitchen and sat her down at the table. She presented her with home made lasagne and then served a plate for herself. Opening a bottle of wine, she poured it into two glasses.

"Just a tiny bit for me," Charlie said. "I'm driving."

"Who said I was going to let you go home?" Joey grinned.

Charlie laughed and reminded her that Joey's brother hated her and would be horrified if he found her sleeping in his house.

"Well, if all goes well, he won't be here. And if he does come home, I doubt he'll come and see me. So we're safe."

She sat down and offered Charlie a full glass of wine. Charlie thanked her and took a sip.

"You really have got naughty since you've been away!" she commented.

Joey kissed her.

"You bet I have," she replied. "And you haven't seen the half of it yet!"

Charlie giggled. It was definitely something she was looking forward to.


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay it's the next day and we're in Angelo's perspective. Then we'll go back to find out what Charlie has been doing... Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter Five**

At work the next morning, Angelo was in a foul mood and everyone at the station had opted to give him a wide berth. They all presumed that it was Charlie related. Everyone knew they had split up again and while Charlie seemed to be coping well, Angelo was a mess. He seemed to spend the majority of his day, gazing longingly at what he couldn't have. Sitting at his desk, Angelo drummed his fingers on the counter. He'd waited for ages outside that house the night before and Charlie hadn't come back out. Who lived there? Why was Charlie spending time there? Had she stayed the night? He had waited until two in the morning but the lights in one of the bedrooms had stayed on, he presumed, until long after he had left. And she wasn't at work this morning so he couldn't even try and get the truth out of her. Logging onto the computer, he hovered over the keyboard, sorely tempted to type in the address and see who lived there.

"That's over the line," he said to himself.

He stared at the screen and resisted, folding his hands in his lap, he pondered what to do next. His mind was far from work and solely centred on Charlie. If she stayed the night at that house, did it mean that she was seeing someone new? And it was the poorest part of town. Why would Charlie be dating the kind of person who lived there anyway? Who was he? What was so special about whoever it was that Charlie was willing to date him and not Angelo? It wasn't fair. Decisively, he grabbed his keys and headed out of his office. Diving into his car, he headed down to the docks and parked outside the house. Killing the engine, he studied the walls and door, searching for some kind of evidence of what was going on inside. Across the street, Charlie's car was still parked so either she had left and come back or she'd stayed there all night. He wished suddenly that he at least had the name of the person who lived there. Who was she seeing? And why was she being so sneaky about it? He turned back to the house, studying it for some kind of movement. The curtains were all open but he couldn't see inside. Sighing heavily, he wondered what he was even doing here. Didn't this count as stalking? Did he want to be the kind of guy who would follow his ex-girlfriend around, always wanting to know what she was up to? To be honest, he'd hardly known when they were together. Charlie was a private kind of girl and while she had let him in to a degree, she'd never been as open with him as he'd craved. Was she open with this new guy? Did she love him? Would she commit?

"Will she even tell me about him?" he wondered aloud.

Looking up, he wondered what bedroom they were in and what they were doing. Had they made love all night or was he crap in bed? Would Charlie be disappointed in him and come back? Seeing a flicker of movement in an upstairs room, Angelo got out of the car. Closing the door quietly, he moved closer and peered up. There was a window open and he could swear he could hear some kind of disagreement going on. He smiled, hoping for some kind of irreversible lover's tiff. Desperate to hear and see more, Angelo looked around. There was an old oak tree outside the house that looked easily climbable. Taking a deep breath and checking nobody was around, Angelo shimmied up the tree. Scrabbling up the trunk, he climbed almost to the height of the window and clambered across the thickest looking branch within his reach. Grateful that he would be obscured by leaves from anyone looking out of the window, he settled on the branch and got a clear view into the house. He froze when he saw Charlie getting dressed. Her back was to him and she appeared to be arguing with someone but he couldn't make out the words. That frustrated him. He also couldn't see who she was snapping at. His eyes widened when a beautiful woman in a skimpy dressing gown stepped into his view. She had dark hair and even from this distance, she looked stunning. Memories of Charlie coming out as bisexual the previous year came flooding back to him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to watch or flee. The girls faced each other, talking quietly and looking very seriously. Charlie sighed heavily. The other girl leant forward and kissed Charlie... _his Charlie_. He made to leave, wobbled and screamed in a high pitched manner as he promptly fell out of the tree and landed on the ground below.


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, we're winding back to the morning on the day that Angelo falls out of a tree, but we're getting it from Charlie and Joey's perspective this time. I hope you like it! Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter Six**

Charlie woke up, happily entangled with Joey's warm, naked body. Lying next to her, she rested her head on the pillow and studied Joey's serenely sleeping face. Her skin was smooth and her eyebrows were perfectly shaped. She had a cute little nose and the most kissable lips Charlie had ever seen. She looked happy, in a world of far away dreams as her chest rose and fell as she breathed. Her hair was fanned out behind her and Charlie wondered what she was dreaming about. If someone had told her only a week ago, that she would be back in Joey's life, in her arms and in her bed, Charlie would never have believed them. She'd thought she would end up alone or else continue to ride that rollercoaster of a relationship with Angelo. Sighing, she wondered how she was going to tell her ex-boyfriend what was going on. She knew she had to be honest and explain that she and Joey were back together but it would be ever so hard. He still looked at her so longingly and he, probably along with the rest of Summer Bay, believed that eventually she would give in and date him again. She hoped moving on with Joey, loving her and feeling entirely capable of committing to her, wouldn't hurt him too badly. She didn't think she would quite get away with it though. Looking back at Joey, she couldn't help but smile. She snuggled a little closer against her, whispering that she loved her.

* * *

Half an hour later, Joey began to stir. She smiled as she felt Charlie curled up behind her with no air between her back and Charlie's front. Yawning, she stretched. Charlie's eyelids fluttered open and she kissed her good morning.

"Did you sleep okay?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded. They'd had such a lovely evening the night before and they had made love well into the morning. It had definitely been a good, restful and deserved night's sleep. And waking up with Charlie made her very happy indeed.

"How about you?"

Charlie smiled.

"I finally got to go to sleep and wake up with the person I love again," she said. "I slept very, very well."

They kissed again but broke apart when there was a loud bang on the door.

"Jo?" Brett called. "Are you up?"

Charlie looked sick with panic and Joey couldn't help but match her expression.

"Yeah, I... I'm just getting up," she said quickly. "One sec."

Charlie looked around a little frantically and then scrambled under the bed. She sneezed a couple of times from the dust and hissed at Joey that she needed to vacuum. Joey pulled her dressing gown around herself, told Charlie not to whinge or sneeze and then opened the door to her brother.

"Morning," she said cheerfully.

"Hey. Are you coming down for breakfast?" he asked.

"Maybe later," she replied. "I'm going to have a bit of a lie in."

Brett nodded and moved away. Pausing, he turned back.

"Do you realise that you haven't left the house since you got home?" he asked.

Joey just shrugged.

"I know that cop broke your heart but if you're moving back here, you're going to have to face her sometime."

"Thanks for the advice," Joey said quickly.

He sighed and headed for the stairs. Joey shut the door. Charlie waited a few moments before clambering out from beneath the bed. Joey smiled at her as she sat on the edge of the bed with dust in her hair. Coming to sit beside her, she brushed the dust away and kissed her. Charlie held her hand.

"I'm sorry I broke your heart," she said gently.

Joey smiled and kissed her.

"Everything's okay now," she said. "It doesn't matter anymore."

* * *

Once Brett had left, Charlie and Joey had had a rather entertaining shower, stayed in dressing gowns and settled down to breakfast together. Pushing her plate away, Joey moved to straddle Charlie's lap. She wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her. Charlie reached out to hold Joey's hips, enjoying their closeness. It was strange really. She was so happy that they were back together. Being in Joey's arms again felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be. But she couldn't help that nagging feeling that something was wrong. Joey seemed different somehow... harder, more abrupt, less emotional. And Charlie was painfully aware that she hadn't told her she loved her. It made her worry that she didn't. Back when they had been together before, they'd said the words so many times and meant them. She tried not to worry about it. Right now, Joey was right there with her. She was happy to spend time with her, to hold her, kiss her and make love to her. That was more than Charlie felt she deserved so it was good enough as far as she was concerned.

"How long until I lose you to work?" Joey asked.

Charlie glanced at her watch.

"A couple of hours," she said unhappily.

It didn't feel long enough. All she wanted to do was stay with Joey. She didn't want to have to go to work and endure Angelo giving her puppy dog eyes all day. Joey smirked.

"Hmm," she said. "What can we do in two hours?"

Charlie grinned. They kissed.

"Lots and lots of times?" Joey added.

She jumped off Charlie's lap and led her towards the stairs. Suddenly, she stopped.

"You go up," she said. "I'll be back in one second. I've had an idea."

Puzzled, Charlie watched her dash into the kitchen. Shaking her head, already amused, she headed on up the stairs. She fell back against the pillows and closed her eyes, waiting for her love to return. Joey appeared within moments, waving a can of squirty cream and wearing a devilish smile.


	7. Chapter 7

_Things come to head while unbeknown to our girls, there's an idiot in a tree outside. Enjoy! Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter Seven**

Charlie and Joey lay, a little breathless and curled up in each other's arms. Charlie silently fretted in case she smelt from perspiration but if she did, Joey didn't seem to mind. She had caused them both to start sweating and thrusting the first place! Smiling to herself and cuddling Joey that little bit closer. Joey rested contentedly against her, enjoying the rise and fall of her chest and the rhythm of her heartbeat. She focussed on their breathing for a moment.

"I guess we should start telling people soon," Charlie finally said, breaking the silence.

Joey's breath caught in her throat and she struggled to conceal it. She swallowed several times to keep from coughing.

"For fear of sounding like a broken record, I'd like Ruby to know first," Charlie said, not noticing. "I know things are different between us now but she still means the same amount to me. If not more. I think she'll be happy this time though. She always liked you. Maybe we three could go out for dinner or..."

She trailed off, thinking of Angelo. She gazed at the ceiling and frowned.

"Maybe I should tell Angelo first," Charlie said. "I mean, if he sees us together, he'll figure it out and that wouldn't be fair, would it? To just have him find out about us. It's nicer to tell someone that kind of thing face to face, right? Watson was telling me that she found out her ex was with someone new on Facebook! Can you believe that? And it's not like they had a fling or something. They were together for five years or something like that."

She stopped talking when she realised that she'd been chattering away for over a minute and Joey hadn't made any kind of response

"Joey?" she said. "Did I lose you?"

Joey lifted her head and sat up. She smiled and shook her head, assuring her that she was listening. Charlie gazed at her. She looked so perfect, so natural, sitting naked in the bed with her hair in disarray. Charlie reached out to hold her hand, wanting to hold onto that moment forever.

"So, maybe tomorrow night we could have dinner with Ruby?" Charlie suggested. "That gives me a chance to talk to Angelo and..."

"Maybe we should wait," Joey said.

Her voice came out hollow and high pitched. She swallowed and turned away from the look of disappointed bewilderment on Charlie's face.

"Why would we wait?" Charlie wondered, not looking away from her.

"Just... because I've only just come back and we've got Brett to worry about and Angelo and... Isn't it nice to have this as our little secret?"

She tried to sound casual but her heart was racing. She didn't want anyone to know about them yet. She wasn't ready. She liked hiding away. That's where nobody could hurt her. Charlie stared at her, surprised and dumbfounded.

"You don't want to come out?" she asked.

"I like things the way they are," Joey said.

She settled back onto the bed beside Charlie.

"Don't you?"

"Well... yeah, I mean I've been really happy but we can't hide out here forever, Joey," Charlie said. "I mean, even Brett's noticed you don't leave the house. Don't you want to?"

"Of course I do," Joey said quickly. "I want to spend time at the beach, catch up with people... if I'm staying, I need to get a job."

"If?" Charlie squeaked.

"Yes."

Charlie swallowed, not wanting to argue. They'd been having such a wonderful up until now and she didn't want to ruin it but the more the seconds passed, the more she felt Joey pulling away from her. Joey turned on her side to face her and held her hand. She licked her lips.

"_If _you stay," Charlie ventured, not able to sneer at the first word, "you're going to have to leave the house and do all the things you just said. And if you're here, if we're seen together then people are going to talk anyway, aren't they? Before you left... everyone knew about us so they'll guess. So we do need to tell people about us first. You know, the people that matter. Ruby. Dad. Morag. Leah."

"I guess..." Joey said uncertainly.

"Are you upset about me wanting to tell Angelo?" Charlie wondered. "It's not that he means much to me now... I mean, he's my friend but he's not... You're the person I love. In case you were worried. I only want to tell him properly out of decency."

Joey smiled softly. She gazed at Charlie looking so honest and earnest and was amazed at how much they had both changed. The first time around, it had been Joey who was so desperate to be out and proud. Charlie had been worried, nervous, ashamed. She'd slept with a man just to prove that she wasn't gay. And now Joey was desperate to keep their secret. She didn't want to invite criticism and speculation. She just wanted them to live in their own little world.

"Joey?" Charlie asked meekly.

Joey snuggled down a little further into the warmth and comfort of the bed. She took Charlie's hand and gazed into her eyes.

"I just don't want to rush things," she said.

"Rush things?" Charlie asked incredulously. "I just spent the past half an hour handcuffed to your bed while you licked cream off my body!"

Joey giggled. Charlie grinned and stroked Joey's face.

"I think we're a little past rushing things," she said more seriously. "Unless you're misguided enough to think I'd trust anyone to let them do that."

Joey leant in and kissed her. Charlie wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her closer and pressing their bodies together.

"So, can we tell people?" she asked hopefully.

Joey sighed and rested her forehead against Charlie's.

"I just... I'm not ready," she said. "I don't think this is the right time. Why can't we just carry on like we are?"

"People will assume..."

"Only if they see us together. That doesn't have to happen. We could be strangers in the outside world and then just be together behind closed doors," Joey said.

Charlie pulled away a little more fiercely than she meant to. Joey moved to the side and watched in horror as Charlie pulled herself out of the bed, looking upset.

"Charlie?" she asked.

"Don't worry, Joey," the police officer snapped. "I get it."

"Get what?" Joey asked, sitting up.

She watched as Charlie fumbled around the room, pulling on underwear and her uniform trousers.

"You don't want to be seen with me," Charlie said.

"What? No..."

"It's fine," Charlie told her bitterly. "I get it. After what I did to you... of course you wouldn't want to be with me again but..."

She looked around, frustrated and demanded to know where her bra was. Joey scanned the room and located it, hooked onto the edge of the wardrobe. She pointed. Charlie pulled it roughly down and struggled to put it on. She was shaking with grief. Stopping, she turned to face Joey who looked upset and bewildered.

"Can you just answer me one thing?" Charlie asked.

Joey just continued to stare, trying to stop the tears from welling in her eyes at the sight of Charlie preparing to walk out on her.

"Was this all a game?"

"Sorry?"

"Was it some kind of revenge? Make me fall in love with you again... not that I ever fell out of love... But make me love you and then leave me? Make me suffer like you suffered? Show me what it's like to feel hurt and rejected? Because I swear, I have been beating myself up over losing you the first time around. I've hated myself every day for not being good enough for you. You didn't need to come back to hurt me. I already knew what I'd lost. I..."

Joey sprung to life. She hurried forward and held Charlie's hands.

"You're misunderstanding me," she said.

"How am I doing that?" Charlie wanted to know.

She tried to pull her hands away but Joey clung on.

"I'd never do what you're accusing me of," the younger girl said. "I would never knowingly... I couldn't hurt you, Charlie. You mean everything to me. And I'm not ashamed of you. How could I ever be ashamed of you?"

Charlie looked at her tearfully, studying her face and wishing she was telling the truth.

"Then why do you want to keep me as a secret?"

"Because I..."

Joey faltered and looked down. She closed her eyes, wondering how she would ever explain.

"I know you don't love me anymore," Charlie managed.

Joey looked up sharply. Her lip trembled and she struggled with her tears.

"What?"

"I've said it a million times and you never reply," Charlie said. "You say something else or you try and distract me. You don't love me."

"I..."

The words got stuck in her throat. She shook her head and closed her eyes. They rested their foreheads together. After a few seconds, Joey took a deep breath. She lifted her head and kissed Charlie for all she was worth, ready to tell her that she loved her, ready to explain. They pulled away when they heard someone scream outside. The scream was followed by a thud.


	8. Chapter 8

_This chapter is for drowningnotwaving as an apology for Wednesday getting in such a muddle! Enjoy! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eight**

"What on earth was that?" Charlie wondered.

"I don't know," Joey said, frowning. "It sounded like a woman screaming."

She looked around for her robe and wrapped it around her while Charlie threw the rest of her clothes on. They raced down the stairs together and charged out onto the street. Charlie stopped abruptly when she saw someone lying, winded on the ground. Several leaves lay beside him.

"Angelo!" she screeched.

He looked up at her, trying to catch his breath.

"What the hell are you doing?" Charlie demanded.

"What the hell are _you _doing?" he snapped back.

"Not falling out of a damn tree!"

She glared at him, wondering what he had seen and how he could possibly justify stalking her. Joey stared between them in utter confusion. They watched Angelo pull himself to his feet.

"So, is this why you dumped me?" he demanded. "Because you want to go and play with the girls again? I assume this is that Joey chick."

Joey looked offended.

"Yes, this is Joey and whether we're back together or not is nothing to do with you. You and I haven't been an item for weeks."

"And you sure seem to be happy about it," Angelo said.

"Yeah," Charlie said unkindly. "I am."

He looked at her as if he hated her. They both wondered if he did.

"How could you do this to me, Charlie?"

"Who I'm with is none of your business," Charlie told him. "But for the record, I was going to tell you. Unfortunately, you couldn't wait and had to start stalking me to find out what I've been doing!"

"I haven't been stalking you!" Angelo insisted.

"Do you climb trees for fun or something then?" Joey asked.

"Shut the fuck up, you," Angelo said unkindly.

"Hey!" Charlie yelled. "Don't you dare talk to her like that!"

"She just stole my girlfriend! I'm entitled to talk to her how I like!"

"No, you're not!" Charlie argued. "You're not entitled to talk to anyone like that, especially not Joey."

Joey remained quiet, touched that Charlie would defend her like that. She supposed, for all their problems and everything that had happened, Charlie had always done what she could to protect her from being hurt by other people. She'd helped her press charges, she'd saved her life, she'd got extremely cranky when Hugo had hit on her and she'd saved her from Brett.

"And she hasn't stolen me," Charlie said. "I was never yours."

"Charlie, we've been together since July," Angelo said, less angry and more desperate.

"And we broke up weeks ago," Charlie told him. "I broke up with you because I didn't want to be with you, because I didn't see a future with you and because you kept pressuring me into more than I was ready for. Joey coming back into my life was a dream come true but it's nothing to do with you and I."

Angelo stared at her for several long moments. He turned to glare at Joey and then stormed back to his car, limping a little. Joey and Charlie watched him go and headed back into the house. Silently, they headed up the stairs. Joey sank onto the bed and stared at the wall. Charlie began to dress with more care. She ran a brush through her hair and glanced at the time. She was due at work in half an hour but she didn't want to go. She wanted to figure out where she stood with Joey.

* * *

Angelo didn't go back to work. Instead, he stormed into the Surf Club and slammed himself onto a stool.

"Calm down!" Alf said. "What's wrong?"

"Charlie's seeing someone else," Angelo said.

Alf sighed. They had suspected as much and Alf was sad to have it confirmed. Charlie and Angelo were such an obvious couple and it was clear how much Angelo was in love with his ex. He'd hoped they could have worked things out.

"Sorry to hear that," he said. "Drink?"

"Beer," Angelo instructed.

Alf observed his uniform.

"I'm quitting for the day," Angelo assured him.

Alf nodded and pulled a bottle from the fridge.

"Who is he?" he asked. "Anyone we know?"

"_She _is Joey Collins," Angelo said unhappily.

* * *

Charlie hovered over Joey for several moments, shoving her hands into her pockets and wondering what she ought to say.

"I guess I'd better get to work," she managed.

Joey nodded, sighed and then looked up at her.

"Sorry he found out like that," she said. "I know you wanted to tell him properly."

"And you didn't want to tell him at all," Charlie pointed out. "So, I'm sorry too."

Joey nodded, not sure where to go from here. She was afraid of people knowing. She was afraid of being with Charlie. And she was afraid of being without her.

"Well, um... I guess I'll catch you later," Charlie said.

She offered a tight smile and then turned to leave.

"I love you!" Joey finally burst out.

Pausing at the door, Charlie turned back to look at her. She studied her frightened face and then came to sit beside her. They both stared ahead of them instead of at each other.

"You love me?" Charlie asked, almost daring not to hope.

Joey nodded.

"Does that mean... does it mean you want to be with me?"

"I've always wanted to be with you," Joey admitted. "I've just been scared."

"Scared of what?" Charlie asked. "Of me? Of me messing you around?"

Joey sighed heavily and flopped back onto the mattress. Charlie came to lie beside her, resting on her side and gazing into her face.

"It took me a long time to pick myself back up after what happened," Joey admitted. "Not just with you but... well, you know."

Charlie nodded quietly.

"In a lot of ways, I don't think I really have yet. I've pretty much spent a year running away from my feelings, never getting close to anyone, having one night stands and flings that don't mean anything just because I couldn't bear to trust anyone with my heart. Sometimes I don't even know if I have a heart anymore."

Charlie gently reached out and held her hand.

"I think you're my soul mate, Charlie," Joey admitted. "No matter where I've been, what I've done, who I've been with, it's always come back to you. You've always been the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. I dream about you. I think about you in the day. I think I always knew I had to come back here, see you again, see if we fit. I wanted us to fit."

"Do you think we do?" Charlie asked anxiously.

Joey nodded.

"But that's the problem," she said. "That's always been the problem. You and I work so well. In private. But how are we going to be in public? I can't be with someone who's ashamed of me."

"I'm not!" Charlie insisted. "I want to tell people about us, Joey."

"But what then?" Joey asked. "What are you going to do when people start asking questions and making comments? The same pressure is going to be there, Charlie. The same judgements. The same fears. How are you going to cope with that?"

"I'll cope," Charlie promised. "I'll make it work this time, Joey. I won't screw up again."

Joey looked at her sadly.

"Do you really believe that?" she asked. "I mean, it's not going to be easy, is it? Angelo was furious."

Charlie nodded.

"I can be what you need now. If... if you want me."

"I do," Joey said.

She reached out and tenderly stroked Charlie's face.

"I'm just terrified of losing you again," she said. "I can't lose you, Charlie. I'll never recover from it. I'll end up more messed up than I already am."

Charlie leant in and kissed her.

"I can't see the future," she said. "But I can promise you now that I never want to lose you either. I want to be with you, Joey. I want to commit to you and build a future together. I want to right every wrong I made with you. I want to start again and prove how much I love you. I want to do things properly this time."

Joey felt a smile twitch at the corners of her mouth. She so desperately wanted to believe in her. She wanted them to work out. Smiling fully, she pulled Charlie close and kissed her again.

"I love you," she said.

Charlie's heart soared as she wholly returned the sentiment.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry for disappearing on you. I was hoping to update on Monday before I left for London but I didn't manage it. But I am home now and will be posting three updates to catch myself up. Here is Monday's installment. I hope you like it and thank you all for your support and feedback. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Nine**

"I mean, this is crazy!" Angelo drunkenly exclaimed. "Charlie is not a lesbian. I think I, of all people, would know if she was! What the hell is she playing at?"

Most of the Surf Club was listening. Marilyn and Nicole had come to sit with him and Alf had his rapt attention.

"Well, she and Joey were together before," Nicole said delicately.

"For like a second! Then Charlie realised that she liked men and the whole thing was mistake. She cheated on Joey with Hugo because she was that unsatisfied!" Angelo argued.

"Um... I don't think that's how it was," said Nicole.

"Did Charlie say that to you?" Marilyn asked.

"Not exactly," Angelo said more quietly. "But she did say it was over and that she was glad she was with me now."

"But Angelo, you and Charlie haven't been an item for a few weeks now," Alf pointed out. "It's not like she's cheated on you."

"Charlie and I are meant to be together," Angelo insisted. "I love her."

"But if she doesn't love you..." Marilyn said.

He glared at her and she shrank back.

"She loves me," he said. "She's just struggling to accept it. The truth is that she's never loved anyone the way she loves me. But she doesn't know how to handle it. She's going to have this dumb fling and then she'll get over it and end up back with me. Charlie and I will be back together by the end of the week. I promise you."

The others looked sceptical.

"This is just a phase. Let's just hope for her sake that I'm patient enough to wait around for her," he said.

Images of Charlie and Joey together flooded his brain. He was disgusted. Rubbing his temples, he just about managed to resist the urge to charge over there and have it out with his ex-girlfriend and woman she was sleeping with.

"Angelo," Nicole said awkwardly. "I know you don't want to hear this... and I know you really love Charlie and I for one think you make an awesome couple but... you weren't around when Charlie and Joey were together. They were really in love."

"Then why did she sleep with Hugo?" the cop demanded.

"She was afraid of being called gay but... according to Ruby, she was really in love with her."

Angelo shook his head.

"Charlie isn't gay," he said firmly.

"Maybe she's bisexual," Marilyn suggested. "That means that things with you were real. And things with Joey are real. I'm not helping, am I?"

"Not really," Angelo said unhappily.

He ordered another beer. Alf wondered if it was a good idea but handed it over anyway.

"What are we all gossiping about?" Ruby asked, appearing behind them with Xavier in tow.

"Um..." Nicole struggled.

"Your bitch of a sister. Or mother. Or whatever the hell she's meant to be," Angelo snapped.

"Hey!" Ruby protested. "Don't you dare talk about Charlie that way!"

"Why not?" Angelo asked. "She is a bitch."

"What's happened?" Ruby asked.

"It looks like Charlie's seeing someone else," Marilyn said quietly.

Ruby frowned. She puzzled over who it could be. Charlie certainly hadn't mentioned anything. She'd been pretty firm about things ended with Angelo but she hadn't given her any indication that she was interested in someone new.

"Who?" she asked.

"Joey!" Angelo bellowed.

"Jo... Joey? As in Joey, Joey? Her ex-girlfriend?" Ruby asked.

"The very one. Don't act like you didn't see it coming."

"Joey doesn't even live here anymore," Ruby pointed out.

"She's back," Angelo said. "And last time I saw her, she was kissing Charlie in a state of undress."

Ruby turned away and pulled her phone out. Xavier followed her out of the Surf Club and waited for her to call Charlie. Inside, Angelo swallowed the rest of his beer.

"I'm sure I heard them arguing though," he added. "So maybe it'll last even less time than I think. She'll come crawling back. I know she will. Charlie and I are meant to be together. I'm perfect for her."

* * *

"Hey, Rubes, I was going to call you," Charlie said when she picked up the phone. "Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?"

"Are you seeing Joey?" Ruby asked, getting straight to the point.

At her desk, Charlie swallowed.

"Yes," she finally said.

"Charlie! How did this happen? When did she come back? How long have you been back together? Are you happy? Is she happy? Has she forgiven you? How did Angelo find out?"

Ruby reeled off questions until Charlie laughed and interrupted her.

"Can we take you for dinner and tell you all about it?" she asked.

Ruby grinned and squeezed Xavier's hand.

"Oh my God! You're already a 'we'! Charlie, this is so cute!"

Charlie giggled and playfully told her to shut up.

"But... I mean this is for real, right? You love each other? You're going to make it work this time?"

"Yes," Charlie assured her. "This is the real deal."

"Then I would love to come to dinner. Can Xavier come?"

"Sure," Charlie said. "I'll pick you both up from Irene's at seven, okay? We can go into Yabbie Creek. I presume Angelo's already started bad mouthing me."

"Pretty much," Ruby said unhappily. "But don't let it get to you, okay? Don't let anyone ruin this."

* * *

Joey was glad when Charlie picked her up before Brett got home. She knew the gossip would reach her brother at some point soon but she would rather not face the music yet. The chances were that if Joey was out and proud and dating again, and especially dating Charlie, Brett would flip and throw her out. She hadn't quite figured out where she would go but she'd decided to cross that bridge when she came to it and not let it spoil her evening. She sat in the passenger seat of the car she knew very well, Joey leant across and kissed Charlie hello. It was meant to be a peck but it immediately developed and they happily got carried away. Finally parting, Charlie started the engine again and they set off to pick Ruby and Xavier up.

* * *

"Seriously, Alf, why is she doing this to me?" Angelo asked. "I love her. We've got so much history together. Why is she running around with this girl instead? What's so special about her? I mean, Charlie broke up with me because she had commitment problems. I was happy to wait for her to get over them. And now, what? She's suddenly over it and wants to spend her life with this chick? And if she doesn't, then what the hell is she putting me through this for?"

He sighed and suddenly realised he'd posed a lot of questions and not actually given Alf any space to answer them. He waited. Alf leant on the bar and sighed thoughtfully.

"I don't think anyone can help who they fall in love with," he said seriously. "I wish it was you. And to be honest, I'm sure Charlie wishes it was you. Right now, you've got everything going for you. And when she was with Joey before, she was in a real panic about it. But if Joey's the one, well then I think you just have to man up and support her."

"I'll never support her in this," Angelo declared. "I am going to do whatever it takes to get her back and get this Joey girl out of our lives."


	10. Chapter 10

_Now, I don't know if I will get to update on Sunday either. Church do a major celebration service the day after Brighton Pride and I have a friend staying so I will probably not get the time. But I should be back on Monday – and I will catch up with anything I miss! I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thank you for continuing to read and review. I get so excited when messages appear! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Ten**

Charlie, Joey and Ruby all sat around a table in an Italian restaurant.

"I just can't believe you're back here," Ruby said for the millionth time.

She smiled and gazed at Joey.

"How come you're back?" she asked.

Joey glanced at Charlie, feeling suddenly shy.

"Because I realised how desperately in love with Charlie I am," she admitted. "And I wanted to see if it was possible to give it another shot."

Charlie beamed and held Joey's hand across the table. Ruby made sappy cooing noises, making the women blush but not break contact.

"And it is possible, right?" Ruby asked. "You guys are back together and making it work?"

"We are," Charlie confirmed.

All three women smiled happily.

"So, when did it happen? When did you come back? Was it today when Angelo caught you or...?"

"Um, well, we've been back together for a few days," Joey said. "And we made it official today."

She gazed lovingly at Charlie, relieved that she had taken the plunge and told Charlie what she wanted to hear. Although their argument had been distinctly uncomfortable, at least it had resolved a few things. Charlie had been earnest and honest about her feelings and it was comforting to know that she really wanted to make things work this time. After their previous false start, it looked like Charlie was ready to be out and proud and not ashamed of being in love with a woman. And for her part, Joey was keen to let her guard down and be the loving person she had once been. She knew she had changed a lot during her time away. Between Robbo raping her, Charlie breaking her heart and the various love affairs she'd had over the previous few months, she felt like she had hardened her heart. She was bolder and stronger and less emotional that she used to be. But she wanted to throw caution to the wind now and give her whole heart to Charlie. She wanted everything to work the way it should have the first time around.

"I'm really happy for you," Ruby said honestly. "Charlie's really missed you. She hasn't been able to talk about it much but I know she's missed you. I missed you too."

She smiled sadly. A big part of her had wished that Joey had stuck around for when everything had kicked off with her, Charlie and Grant. When the truth had come out, as much as she had at least temporarily disliked Charlie, she'd always wished that she had someone around to take care of her. She liked Angelo a lot and she'd always thought he was quite good for her. But she felt that Joey would have been more of a support. And Joey was someone Ruby had always been able to talk to as well. Perhaps things could have been resolved quicker and more easily if Joey had been around. But still, nobody would ever know, would they?

"I missed both of you," Joey replied. "I don't think a single day went by without thinking of you, missing you, wondering what you were doing. You guys were the closest thing to family I ever had."

Charlie gazed at her, feeling touched and sad all at the same time. Joey had always been wonderful. She had trusted Charlie, she had loved her. And Charlie had only let her down. She reached for Joey's hand and held it gently, lifting it to her lips. There were so many things she wanted to make up for, so many things she wanted to make right. They gazed lovingly at each other until Ruby giggled.

"What?" Charlie asked, flushing.

"You two are so cute," she said. "Absolutely adorable."

Both women blushed as Ruby continued to chuckle.

* * *

It was late when Charlie dropped Joey home. Ruby stayed quietly in the back and tried not to look as her mother kissed her girlfriend goodbye. Gazing at the front lawn, Ruby frowned.

"What's all that stuff doing there?" she asked curiously.

Pulling away from each other, Charlie and Joey turned to look. There were bags and boxes heaped in a pile on the lawn.

"That would be... my stuff," Joey concluded.

She glanced back unhappily at Charlie.

"I guess word got round to Brett," she sighed.

"He seriously still has a problem with you being gay?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"Apparently," Joey said, hauling herself out of the car.

Charlie and Ruby followed.

"Do you mind dropping me off at a hotel or something?" Joey asked.

Charlie put her arm around her and told her not to be ridiculous.

"I'm not challenging him now, Charlie," Joey said.

"No, but you are staying with me," Charlie replied.

She and Ruby began collecting her stuff up and taking it back to the car. Joey watched them uncertainly and then joined in. While she didn't think rushing things with Charlie was a good idea, she supposed she couldn't turn down a bed for the night. They were just about to climb into the car when Brett appeared from the house and charged towards them.

"I should have known you'd get back together with that dirty dyke!" he yelled angrily.

Charlie rolled her eyes. Joey clenched her jaw.

"Five seconds you've been home and she's already corrupted you!"

"She hasn't corrupted me!" Joey argued. "For goodness sake, Brett, when are you going to get it through your thick head that I'm a lesbian, whether Charlie's in my life or not?"

"You were straight before you met her and she started putting funny ideas in your head," Brett insisted.

"I was sneaking out and dating girls in secret before Charlie came along," Joey corrected him. "Charlie just gave me the courage to come out and be true to who I really am."

"You know she went back to men after you?" Brett said.

He glared at Charlie who swallowed.

"She was sleeping with that cop guy all this year," he said.

"Charlie and I were broken up," Joey said. "She was entitled to be with who she liked. Same as I was."

"And were you?" Brett asked.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?" Joey asked.

He folded his arms and nodded, although he wasn't sure it was true. The idea of his beloved little sister being gay was abhorrent to him.

"Then yes, I've dated plenty of people in the last year," Joey admitted.

Ruby glanced at Charlie but she offered no reaction.

"And not a single one of them could ever compare to Charlie. So, rather being a homophobic shit over this, why don't you just try and accept it?"

Brett shook his head. There was no way he could accept this. No way.

"Then consider me gone from your life," Joey said without emotion. "I don't need you trying to control my life. And I can assure you that if you try anything like you did last time, you will be sorry."

She hurried to the car and climbed in. Charlie and Ruby followed suit and Charlie drove away, leaving Brett yelling desperately after them.

* * *

With Ruby back at Irene's house and Leah and VJ away for the weekend, Charlie and Joey had the house to themselves. It felt good not to have to sneak around and with Joey's things piled into the corner of Charlie's bedroom, they quickly melted into each other's arms. Standing in the middle of the living room, they wrapped their arms around each other. Joey stroked Charlie's back, making her tingle as she kissed her possessively.

"This is really real now, isn't it?" Joey said, gazing at Charlie's face.

The police officer nodded.

"Are you okay with that?" she asked.

Joey smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of Charlie's beautiful eyes.

"It's scary," she admitted. "Everyone knows. Everyone's talking. The pressure's on. And I'm homeless."

"You have a home here," Charlie said. "And I swear to you, I won't mess it up this time. I won't let you down."

She leant in and kissed her again, resting her hands on her hips and holding her close.

"I love you," she added.

"I love you too," Joey replied easily. "I don't remember what it's like not to love you."

They kissed again before Joey took Charlie's hand and led her to the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

_Charlie and Angelo... the confrontation! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eleven**

The following morning, Angelo arrived at work with a face like thunder. He'd drunk too much the night before and probably said a lot of things he shouldn't have. But he couldn't quite bring himself to regret them. He looked up as Charlie entered the room. Fixing a cold glare in her direction, he hated her. She shivered a little under his glare and took a seat at her desk, thinking that perhaps now was the time where they shouldn't share an office anymore. She opened her laptop and began working, aware of Angelo's gaze.

"Are you pleased with yourself?" he asked.

She looked up and sighed.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

He pulled himself away from his desk and came to sit in front of her.

"Are you pleased with yourself?" he repeated.

"Angelo, what do you expect me to say?" Charlie asked, genuinely at a loss.

"I want you to apologise and take all of this back," he told her. "I don't understand what's going on here, Charlie."

"Well, at last count, you were stalking me," Charlie shot back coldly.

"You know that's not how it was," he replied.

Charlie closed her laptop and stared him in the face

"You followed me and waited outside my girlfriend's house," she said.

He pulled a face.

"And then you climbed a tree in order to peer through the window and find out what I was doing!"

She looked disgusted. He looked defensive.

"What the hell _are _you doing?" he asked. "Running around with some woman...?"

"I'm in love with her," Charlie admitted.

His disgust grew.

"Five minutes ago you were in love with me!" he argued.

She chewed her lip and swallowed. His eyes bore into hers as he realised she had never loved him. She jolted when her phone rang and felt a little awkward when she saw Joey's name flash up on the screen. Pulling away from Angelo but aware that he hadn't moved and inch and wasn't going to, she answered.

"Hey," she said warmly, despite the situation.

"Hi," Joey replied. "Is this a good time, bad time or ugly time?"

"The last one," Charlie grinned.

Joey grinned back although they couldn't see each other.

"I was just wondering where you keep your towels," Joey said. "They're not where they used to be and I don't want to rummage."

"You can rummage," Charlie assured her. "But to save you some time, they're in drawer under the bed."

"Thanks!" Joey said.

"No problem."

"When did you say you'd be home?"

"Five thirty," Charlie said.

"See you then," Joey replied.

"Bye."

Charlie smiled into the phone long after she had hung up. Turning back to her desk, she saw Angelo still glaring at her. She had almost forgotten he was there.

"Your lover?" he asked.

"What's it got to do with you?" Charlie snapped.

"I'm only the guy who loves you, Charlie!" he yelled, slamming his fists on the desk.

She jumped a little but remained calm.

"Angelo, you and I broke up weeks ago," she pointed out. "I'm entitled to see someone else if I want to."

"We broke up because you couldn't commit!" he said. "I always thought that in time..."

"I told you it was over for good," Charlie insisted. "We wanted different things..."

"Yeah, you wanted some bitch!"

"Don't you dare call her that!"

"I'll call her whatever the hell I like," Angelo yelled furiously. "She's stolen you away!"

"She's done no such thing," Charlie said. "I was with Joey before I was with you, I..."

"I had you first," Angelo pointed out.

"That hardly counts!"

"It counts to me! And you were with her for what, thirty seconds? You and I, we've been dating for months. Charlie, I thought this was real! I thought..."

"I wanted to love you," Charlie said honestly and firmly. "I wanted us to make it work. But I knew weeks ago... no, I knew months and months ago, that we were never going to. I don't love you. We want different things. We're not right for each other."

"I'm perfect for you!"

"Maybe you are," Charlie said. "But that doesn't say much for you. Because I'm not a good person, Angelo. I'm messed up and misguided. If you match that, you've got problems. But Joey... I love her more than anything. She's always meant the world to me and the feelings between us... they're something I can't even begin to describe or understand. She completes me. She makes me a better person. She's perfect for me in all the ways I need her to be."

"What happens when everyone finds out?" Angelo asked. "How are you going to cope? You cheated on her last time the pressure got too much."

"I'm not going to be making that kind of mistake again," Charlie said. "Joey came back for me after everything I did. I've got one chance to start again and I'm damn well going to make the most of it. Angelo, please don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"How the hell am I meant to make this easy for you?" he asked. "Why the hell should I? I thought you and I were..."

"Well, we're not," Charlie interrupted. "I've given you weeks to get used to us being over. I know it's something you struggle to accept but you have to try. I wanted to tell you properly. I wanted to be nice about it and let you down gently. But you didn't give me a chance. You totally overstepped the line yesterday. I know you're hurting but the least you can do is let me move on in peace."

He stared at her for several long moments, taking in her features and searching her eyes. He sighed heavily.

"No chance," he finally said before turning back to his work.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

That evening, against their better judgement, Charlie and Joey headed out to the Surf Club to get a drink. Joey was surprised when Charlie took hold of her hand before entering the venue. Joey halted her abruptly.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked.

"We're not doing anything wrong," Charlie replied. "We're entitled to go for a drink together."

She studied Joey's face for a moment.

"Unless you've changed your mind about me?"

Joey's heart flooded with compassion at the look of concern on Charlie's face. She leant in and kissed her.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," she confirmed.

Charlie grinned and led the way into the bar. Both women were aware of being looking at them but they clutched each other's hands tighter.

"I'll get the drinks in," Charlie said, leaving Joey at the table and approaching the bar.

Alf came to serve her.

"How are you doing, love?" he asked cheerfully.

"Pretty good, thanks," Charlie said with a smile. "Could I have two glasses of white wine, please, Alf?"

He nodded and set about pouring their drinks.

"I don't know how you can show your face here," said a voice.

Startled, Charlie turned and saw Colleen sitting with Marilyn a couple of tables away. From her table, Joey tensed and watched.

"Did you just say something?" Charlie asked.

Alf sighed and wondered how he could intervene to stop an argument kicking off. Colleen stood up. Alf sighed again.

"I said, I don't know how you can show your face here after what you've done," the older woman squawked.

Charlie glanced back at Joey who was still sitting down but looking as if she'd rise and help her the moment she thought she needed it.

"What exactly have I done?" the ever fiery Charlie demanded.

"Leaving that lovely Sergeant Risotto to run around with that... _girl_!" Colleen said.

Joey stood up and stepped in beside Charlie.

"Angelo and I broke up weeks ago," Charlie said, gripping Joey's hand a fraction too tightly. "I didn't leave anyone for anyone. I love Joey and I'm not about to apologise for it!"

Colleen turned a little pink and couldn't quite lift her eyes from their joined hands.

"You loved him five minutes ago," she said.

"I can assure you, I never loved him," Charlie said.

She turned to her girlfriend.

"I never loved him," she said. "I've only loved you."

Joey smiled and squeezed her hand.

"I know," she said affectionately.

"You've broken that poor man's heart!" Colleen insisted.

Marilyn stepped up beside her, hoping to defuse the situation in some way. Charlie and Joey were painfully aware that everyone was watching.

"Why don't we just agree to disagree?" Alf suggested.

"No," Charlie snapped.

She turned and looked around at everybody, breaking away from Joey's hand.

"Why are you guys all treating me like the bad guy?" she demanded. "People break up all the time. Angelo and I split because we weren't right for each other, because we weren't happy together. Are you all telling me that any of you have dated one person only? Why am I being treated like a villain just because I split up with someone and then started dating someone new? How is that fair?"

"He's just a good friend to a lot of us, love," Alf said gently. "You're not the bad guy. We're just worried about how depressed he is over this."

"Then you're all a bunch of hypocrites," Charlie snapped, still addressing everybody. "Only a few short months ago, you hated him. You wanted him to rot in jail forever for what he did to Jack. And yet now, he's Mr Perfect? He lied to all of you for months about why he was even here. He's lied and manipulated his way through Summer Bay. And yet you all love him and you'll happily demonise me for not loving him. I mean, doesn't it strike any of you as a little weird that I found him up a tree so that he could spy on me? He's been following me, checking up on me, _stalking _me. And I'm the bad guy? Really?"

"He was only following you because he loves you," Colleen said bitterly.

"Well if that's love, I can do without it," Charlie told her firmly. "I haven't done anything wrong. I can't help who I've fallen in love with."

She stepped back up and took Joey's hand.

"I feel lucky and proud to be in a relationship with Joey and regardless of what the town gossip has to say about it, I'm not going to apologise for anything."

Turning back to Alf, she handed her cash over for the drinks. Retaining hold of Joey's hand, she led her back to their table.

* * *

Joey put her arm around Charlie's slender waist on the way home.

"I'm so proud of you," she said for what was possibly the hundredth time.

"Well, it was a long time coming," Charlie said unhappily.

Joey stopped walking and stood in front of her, taking hold of both her hands.

"We're forgetting about the past now," she said firmly. "We love each other, we're not going to apologise for it, we're out, we're proud, we're happy. Right?"

Charlie smiled and nodded, taking Joey into her arms.

"I really do love you," she whispered.

Joey smiled and kissed her.

"I really do love you too," she replied.

* * *

"So, am I like living here now?" Joey asked as she and Charlie snuggled beneath the blankets.

Charlie pulled her close so that rested on her chest and nodded.

"If you want to, of course," she said.

"I want to," Joey confirmed.

She tilted her head to offer a gentle kiss.

"This feels so different and so similar to before, all in one go," Joey said. "Does that make any sense at all?"

Charlie sat up a little but kept Joey close.

"I think so," she said. "I feel all the same feelings I had for you before, except maybe more so. But it's like the last piece of the puzzle has been found. Because before, I was so scared of what people would say and I... well, you know how I screwed things up. I don't need to tell you. But I feel free. I feel like together, we can take on the world. I'm so happy. I don't think I was ready to let myself be happy before. But now I refuse to let anything get in the way."

Joey smiled and kissed her cheek.

"That's pretty much what I mean. I'm so happy with you and I love you so much. But it feels different this time because I'm not scared of losing you. I feel confident that nothing bad is going to happen this time. I feel like we're ready to be together. Last time was a demo version and this is the real thing!"

They both giggled.

"Well, I honestly have no earthly idea why you came back for more after everything but I can promise you now that I'm so happy you did."

They kissed again, letting it develop for several, long moments.

"Well, as hurt as I was, really, how could I not come back? You don't find your soul mate and not try to make it work. I've felt scared up to this point. I admit that. I didn't exactly put my heart on my sleeve this time and I had no idea what to expect. I didn't even know if I was going to stick around or head out again. But I know that this is where I belong. With you."

Charlie stroked Joey's hair and leant in, brushing her lips softly against Joey's.

"You and I definitely belong together," she said. "I'm determined to spend the rest of my life making sure you never regret coming back to me."

Joey kissed her again.

"I will never regret it, Charlie," she said. "Never."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

The following morning, Charlie said a reluctant goodbye to Joey and then headed into work. She'd barely sat down with her latte when Angelo approached, towering over her. She looked up at him, dreading whatever might happen next.

"You're late," he said darkly.

She glanced at her watch.

"By about two minutes!" she exclaimed.

He folded his arms and glared.

"That's still late," he told her.

Irritated, Charlie leant back in her chair and matched his expression with her own.

"So, I'll stay two minutes later," she said sourly. "Does that work for you?"

"No, I reckon a verbal warning will do," he replied. "And that'll lead to a written one next time."

"For being two minutes late?" she exclaimed.

"Yep," he replied.

Disgusted, she stood up.

"I'm going out on patrol," she snapped.

"No, you're not," he told her.

He headed over to his own desk and picked up a pile of paperwork, dumping it on hers.

"You're desk bound for the day," he said.

Charlie sank into her chair, still glaring at him. His eyes were cold before he turned away, sitting at his own desk and booting up his computer.

* * *

Joey headed out for a run. She knew she had things to do but she wasn't entirely sure where to start. She needed to find a job and she needed to collect the rest of her stuff from Brett's. She felt sad that even after all this time, her brother couldn't accept her for who she was. All she could hope now was that he wouldn't attempt to make the kind of trouble for her and Charlie that he had before. While she held Charlie and Hugo both responsible for their actions, she couldn't help but feel accusatory towards Brett too. If he hadn't interfered then perhaps she and Charlie could have stayed together. Pausing for breath, she sank onto the sand, feeling hot, sweaty and tired. But she also felt good. Despite her anxiety over Brett and finding work, she was happy. She and Charlie had recovered from their past and were ready to start afresh. For the first time since everything had happened, she felt able to let go of her past.

Charlie was bored to tears. She was trapped doing paperwork and didn't think Angelo would let her hear the end of it for a good long while. It wasn't fair but she wasn't sure what else to do but play along. She could always make a complaint for what had happened at Joey's house. Surely climbing up a tree and spying on your ex-girlfriend wasn't ethical? And it was more than a little obvious that he had been bad mouthing her. Colleen had point blank refused to serve her in the Diner and she'd been about to flee in embarrassment when Leah had rescued her, told Colleen off and then served her herself. Everyone knew that Charlie and Joey were together and Charlie hoped they would have all been a little more supportive if Angelo hadn't spread rumours and gossip first in order to make her look bad. It wasn't fair. Still, she knew she'd rather be with Joey and endure judgement than have to live without her in peace.

* * *

Having returned to the house, showered and changed, Joey headed out again in search of employment. Against her better judgement, she entered the Surf Club and approached the bar. Alf greeted her with his usual warmth.

"What can I get you?" he asked.

"Uh... well, it's a little bit awkward," she admitted.

He leant on the bar, intrigued.

"Okay, I know the answer is pretty much going to be 'no' but please bear with me," Joey grinned. "I know I let you down before and I know you're really good mates with Angelo but I saw a sign in the bait shop window that you were looking for staff."

Alf exhaled and looked awkward.

"Like I said, I know the likelihood of you employing me is fairly minimal but I figured, if you don't ask, you don't get."

She smiled cheerfully and thanked him for hearing her out.

"Well... okay, Joey I'll be straight with you," Alf said. "Angelo is a good friend of mine – although that's not to say that I condone his recent behaviour. But at the end of the day, it's not really anybody else's business but my own whom I employ. I mean, it's not as if you're asking to work behind the bar of his local. He rarely comes into the bait shop."

Joey tried not to feel too hopeful.

"And for the record, I would never hold the past against you," Alf said. "I know when you walked out on your shift here that time, you were going through something I can't even imagine. So..."

He exhaled again.

"So, I don't see why I can't give you a trial run in the shop."

Joey's eyes lit up.

"You're experienced, right?"

She nodded and told him her employment history, still not quite believing her luck.

"Can you start tomorrow?" Alf asked.

Joey smiled.

"I absolutely can," she promised.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Joey bounced into the police station and cheerfully approached Watson, asking for Charlie.

"She's just... here," Watson said brightly, spotting Charlie leave her office and approach.

Joey turned and beamed at her girlfriend who smiled right back.

"What are you doing here?" the police officer asked. "Not that I'm not delighted to see you!"

"I have some news," Joey said.

Charlie stepped forward and held both her hands.

"I got a job!"

"What? Really? That's amazing! Well done!"

She pulled Joey into a tight hug and spun her round in the reception area. Aware that everyone had started watching, she took Joey's hand and led her outside. The moment they were alone, she congratulated her with a sensual kiss.

"So, tell me all about it," Charlie requested.

"About what?" Joey asked dreamily.

Charlie laughed and ruffled Joey's hair.

"About the job," she said.

"Oh!" Joey said with a blush. "You kind of distracted me."

They both giggled and then kissed again.

"So..." Charlie probed.

"I spoke to Alf and he's agreed to give me a trial run in the bait shop," Joey announced. "I mean, I know it's only a trial but it's a start, right? And I know it's only a bait shop but that's good enough for me. I'm never going to be a hot shot cop like you or anything but..."

Charlie cut her off with a kiss. She stroked her face.

"I'm so proud of you," she said honestly.

Joey couldn't stop smiling. She leant in and kissed her again, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Shall we do something tonight to celebrate?" Charlie wondered. "We could go out for dinner or... whatever you want."

"Can I cook for you?" Joey asked.

"Well, that's not really a treat for _you_," Charlie pointed out.

"It is," Joey said. "Trust me."

They continued to smile at each other and kissed again.

"Well, I'd better let you get back to work," Joey said.

Charlie's face fell. She'd been trapped on paperwork all day and it was driving her crazy. Angelo was proving to be a particularly hard task master, although fortunately, he had been on his lunch break for the last half an hour so she could relax a little more.

"See you tonight," Joey said.

Kissing her one more time, she skipped off with a definite spring in her step. Unbeknownst to either woman, in his parked car, Angelo had watched the entire thing.

* * *

Joey walked towards the supermarket, feeling like she was on top of the world. With the music in her ears, she bounced through the aisles, dumping various things in the trolley in order to make something nice for Charlie that evening. They had been through so much but this felt like the start of the rest of their lives. She was excited about her job with Alf and surprised that he'd even considered taking her on. What with her past behaviour and the Angelo factor, she thought it had been a real long shot. But it proved to her, as if she needed proof, that Alf Stewart was a very good man. They may have taken the long way around but Joey was thrilled that she and Charlie were finally together with nothing to stand in their way.

* * *

Charlie was feeling much more cheerful as she continued with her paperwork. When she'd returned to the station, Watson had grinned at her and teased her without shame before stating very firmly that she was happy that things had worked out at last. Her face fell when Angelo entered the office and hovered over her.

"Yes?" she said, looking up at him.

"You went on an unofficial break," he said.

She gripped her pen a little tighter.

"Excuse me?"

"I just saw you," he said, glaring at her. "You stepped outside when you should have been working and you were fornicating outside the station for anyone to see."

"Fornicating?" Charlie giggled.

She blushed when she let out an accidental snort. Angelo wasn't impressed.

"You were messing around with Joey right outside the building," he said. "You're already on a verbal warning. I'll get your written warning done before the end of the day."

He turned to his desk. Charlie leapt to her feet.

"You're not serious?" she demanded.

He turned back to her.

"Actually I'm deadly serious, Charlie," he said. "Lesbians running around and making shows of themselves when one of them is a Leading Senior Constable in uniform, isn't acceptable. It's not professional behaviour. She shouldn't have even been here."

"Is this because she's a girl or because she's not you?" Charlie demanded.

His glare darkened.

"I wouldn't tolerate that behaviour from anyone," he said.

"What about all the times you kissed me at work?" she challenged. "Wasn't it me telling you to be professional then?"

"That was different."

"Why, exactly?"

He gritted his teeth.

"Just don't act unprofessionally again or I'll have to take further action than just a written warning," he said.

"You're treating me so unfairly," she snapped. "I should be reporting you for stalking, not taking the shit you're dishing out."

He leant over her across the desk.

"Do not speak to me like that," he warned.

She stood up and flung her chair back.

"Or what?" she asked.

"Or I swear I will find any possible dirt I can on you and I will get you fired."

"Just try it," she said. "But we both know that there's only one immoral, unprofessional cop in this room and it isn't me."

She grabbed her keys, bag and phone.

"I'm going on patrol."

He watched her storm out of the room, attempting to think of something to say back but finding no words would come. Sinking into a chair, he wondered how he had ended up in this situation and how he could get out of it.


	15. Chapter 15

_There are only five more chapters of this left but (I hope) I have two good stories to replace this and 'Somebody, Anybody, You' with when I do. One is a concept that drowningnotwaving came up with but I have written and another is a story based more on the current storyline. And this weekend, I was struck by inspiration so when Save Me is over (not for a while yet), I have quite a different (but still CJ) story waiting in the wings, which I hope you will like._

_Anyway, I just thought I would give you sufficient warning about the end of this fic. I hope you are still enjoying it and that you like where it's heading. I appreciate all your reviews so much. This chapter is dedicated to Oniz197 for the lovely, lovely review I got for Somebody, Anybody, You. I did not have a good weekend so the reviews I received from people really cheered me up! Thank you. Love, IJKS xxx_

**

* * *

**

Chapter Fifteen

Joey was happily singing to herself as she cooked when Charlie appeared, home from work. Joey's face fell when she saw how stressed her girlfriend looked.

"What's wrong?" she asked, putting her wooden spoon down and gathering Charlie into a hug.

Charlie smiled and held on tightly.

"Just a bad day at work," she said, resting her chin on Joey's shoulder and appreciating the closeness between them.

It felt more than a little wonderful to come home to Joey after a long day at work. Joey hugged her tightly and brushed her lips against Charlie's. Charlie's smile grew as she returned Joey's kiss, enjoying the familiar warmth of her lips and the closeness of her body. They rested their foreheads together and kissed again. Charlie gave Joey an extra squeeze.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Joey asked.

Charlie shook her head and watched her return to the stove. Joey stirred her pot and then busied herself with pouring wine. Presenting Charlie with a glass, she guided her into a chair.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I've been told I'm a very good listener."

She grinned. Charlie laughed.

"You're very good at most things," she commented.

Joey leant forward and kissed her.

"Including that," Charlie said.

They sipped their wine and Joey returned to her cooking.

"I hope you're hungry," she said. "Because I cooked enough to feed an army!"

Charlie giggled. She'd expected as much.

"How long do we get the place to ourselves for?" Charlie asked, admiring Joey from behind.

Joey turned her head and flashed a smile.

"All night!" she announced. "Leah and VJ have gone to stay with Stella."

Charlie smiled.

"Well, I can safely say that after a lousy day at work, this is already shaping up to make a perfect night."

Joey's smirk increased.

"It'll only get better from here," she promised.

* * *

Angelo charged into the Surf Club and glared at Alf who blanched, dreading what might be wrong this time.

"How could you?" he demanded.

"How could I what?" Alf asked.

He had a feeling he knew where it was going and he wasn't about to stand for it. He folded his arms across his chest and waited.

"How could you give that lesbian bitch a job?"

Leaning against the bar, Alf looked him in the eye, feeling like he had had quite enough of the Sergeant. Once upon a time, he had felt very sorry for him. He'd cared about him and wanted him and Charlie to make things work. Now he was sure that Charlie had made a wise move. Joey was a lovely girl and was unlikely to behave anywhere near the way Angelo did.

"Who I give a job to, is nothing to do with you, mate," he said firmly.

Angelo continued to glare.

"You betrayed me," the cop accused.

"I've done no such thing," Alf insisted. "And it's not like I've got her working behind the bar. She's only in the bait shop."

"It's still a betrayal," Angelo told him. "She stole Charlie away from me. We should be making her life hell, not welcoming her with open arms."

He jumped when Alf slammed his fists on the bar.

"I've had just about enough of you! I'm sorry you're miserable and whatever it is you're going through, Angelo, but you have to get over it. Charlie did not dump you for Joey. And even if she had, at least we know she would have had the decency to end one relationship before beginning another. Not like she did to Joey before. And not like you did that poor girl... what was her name? May?"

"That was different! I fell in love with Charlie! I..."

"She doesn't love you," Alf told him firmly. "Now, Joey is a nice girl. She's been through the ringer and she's coming back strong, able and ready to start her life over. Nobody should be making her life hell and if I get so much as a sniff of you trying to do that or anything similar, I will make you sorry."

Angelo's mouth fell open. He'd expected Alf to fire Joey, not start shouting.

"Now, get out of my bar," Alf instructed. "You can come back when you can keep a civil tongue your head."

Glancing at everyone around him who was so obviously staring, he made his way to the exit.

* * *

Charlie and Joey sat opposite each other at a candle lit table in the lounge. Charlie had got changed out of her uniform and despite Joey's protestations that she didn't need to wear anything at all, now had on jeans and a smart top. Joey had certainly gone to a lot of effort, making her signature dish which was just as lovely as Ruby had raved it was all those months ago.

"I still can't believe this is actually happening," Charlie admitted, pushing her plate away slightly so that she could reach out across the table and hold Joey's hand.

"What?" Joey wondered, accepting her hand and smiling.

"Just... me and you," Charlie said, feeling suddenly shy. "After I lost you the first time, I just... I gave up hope. I tried so hard to move on but you were always still in my head. And my heart. And then... then when I got you back but I thought... I don't know. I thought you were playing with me or..."

Joey squeezed her hand gently and apologised. Charlie kissed her and smiled.

"It wasn't your fault," she said. "I guess that's what I felt I deserved from you. I still do."

Joey immediately moved forward. She straddled Charlie's lap and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Don't," she instructed, gazing into Charlie's eyes. "It's me and you against the world now, okay? We're over all that stuff. And yeah, I know I've changed. I know I find some things harder than I used to. But that's something I'm working on. I don't... well, I don't want to be the old Joey. But I do want to soften a bit. Trust my feelings, let myself open up to you again. I want this to work."

"Me too," Charlie said.

They kissed gently.

"And it will," Joey said certainly. "You mean far too much to me to ever let you go again."


	16. Chapter 16

_Thank you so much to everyone who is still reading and reviewing this and my other stories. I love hearing your feedback! I hope you continue to enjoy this as it gears up for its climax. Love, IJKS_

**Chapter Sixteen**

Joey was up far too early the next morning. By the time Charlie managed to prise her eyes open, her girlfriend was showered, dressed, looking hot and making breakfast. Pulling her dressing gown on, Charlie padded into the kitchen and Joey buzzed around, singing to herself and generally having a lovely time. Leah and VJ found the whole thing almost as amusing as Charlie did.

"What are you so happy about?" VJ wondered.

Joey placed a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice in front of him and ruffled his hair.

"I'm starting my new job today," she explained happily.

VJ continued to look confused.

"I don't think I would be so happy about working," he said. "School's bad enough."

Charlie sat beside him and pulled Joey into her lap. She kissed her cheek and smiled.

"Joey is a very special kind of person," she explained.

* * *

Angelo was up early. He went out for a run and then spent half an hour in the gym. Wandering through the bar area of the Surf Club, he caught sight of Alf and smiled. The barman did not smile back. Approaching him, Angelo took a deep breath and apologised. Alf stepped back, a little sceptical.

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," the police officer replied. "I was totally out of line. Joey isn't my enemy and I shouldn't treat her as such. Yes, I'm hurting a lot over Charlie but I need to pull myself together and get over it. So, I need to thank you for knocking some sense into me."

He smiled. Alf smiled back and they shook hands.

"Smoothie?" Alf offered.

"That'd be great," Angelo replied, sitting down on a bar stool.

Alf began to make his drink.

"So, what are you up to today?" the older man asked. "Work?"

Angelo nodded.

"Yeah, I've got a pretty long shift. It'll be hard to keep spending such long days with Charlie but I know I just have to get used to it. Consider this the new me."

Alf smiled and served his drink.

"I'm glad to hear it, mate," he said. "Speaking of, I'd better head off."

* * *

Charlie drove Joey down to the bait shop and kissed her goodbye.

"Wish me luck?" Joey asked.

She was a lot more confident now but the tinge of anxiety in her voice revealed that she wasn't completely sure of herself. Charlie appreciated the blend of her personality. It was nice to see how strong and capable Joey was, how much she had healed and learnt to love herself. But her vulnerability had always been part of the attraction between them. Charlie felt so in love and felt the need to look after and nurture her. She wanted to make her happy and she wanted to make her proud.

"You don't need luck," Charlie told her. "But I'll wish it anyway."

Joey blushed and smiled. She leant over to kiss Charlie again and gave her a hug, pulling away only when she saw Alf approach the bait shop and begin to open up.

"I'll meet you back here when I finish my shift to take you home," Charlie promised.

Joey thanked her, kissed her one more time and then climbed out of the car. Charlie waited and watched her greet Alf with enthusiasm, eager to get started. Smiling to herself, Charlie pulled back out of her parking space in order to head to work.

* * *

Angelo remained outside the Surf Club and watched Charlie drive off once she had gazed longingly at Joey for a few moments. He tried to ignore the bitter taste in his mouth, took a deep breath and headed towards his own car. Putting the smoothie cup in the cup holder, he started the engine and flicked on the radio. He cast another glance at Joey who was following Alf round like a puppy as he showed her the ropes. Digging around in his pocket, Angelo made sure he had the item that he needed with him before he followed Charlie to work.

* * *

"Does that all make sense?" Alf asked.

Joey nodded.

"Yep, it's all good with me," she assured him.

He smiled, thinking that she would take to the job well. He hoped she would anyway.

"Would you be alright if I left you alone for a bit or...?"

"I'll be fine," Joey promised.

Reading his look of uncertainty, she promised that there were no more Robbo's around that could scare her off. He had long since been jailed and wouldn't be out for many years after what he did to her. Satisfied, Alf left his number in case she needed help but otherwise left her to it.

* * *

Charlie sat at her desk and concentrated on her paperwork, ignoring Angelo when he glided past her and sat down at his own desk. She felt him watch her for a few moments and wondered when the barrage of abuse would begin, although she was damned if she was going to spend another day on desk duty. Looking up, she saw him wheel himself over to her.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Dropping her pen, Charlie stared at him a little sceptically. She folded her arms in front of her on the desk.

"Really?" she asked.

He nodded and flashed his most charming smile.

"I love you," he said. "And I think I always will."

Charlie sighed heavily and began to interrupt but he stopped her.

"Please," he said, holding up a hand. "Please just hear me out."

Charlie nodded mutely.

"I will always love you. And there will always be a part of me that will hope this Joey thing will be over soon and that you and I can get things back on track. But for now, I respect your feelings, I won't try and get in your way, and I genuinely wish the best for you."

Charlie just stared, not sure whether she could believe him or not.

"Are you for real?" she asked.

"I swear," Angelo said. "I want the best for you, Charlie. You mean so much to me and I value your friendship too much to let that go. So, could we draw a line under everything and start again? As friends?"

"I'd like that," Charlie said.

"And I'm really sorry for spying on you," Angelo added. "I guess I was driven a little crazy over the thought of you being with someone else. But I know I need to accept that you've moved on. Hey, maybe I'll even move on one day. You never know. Miracles might happen!"

He forced a laugh. She smiled back, just about managing to relax.

"I'll even go and apologise to Joey if you like," Angelo offered.

Charlie beamed at him.

"That would be great," she said. "Thank you. She... she really is a wonderful person. If you took the time to get to know her a little bit, you'll see..."

"Let's not push it," Angelo remarked. "I'm not exactly angling for an invite to the wedding or anything."

They both laughed. Angelo studied her face and was upset to find a lack of horror at the thought of that kind of commitment. She wouldn't even move in with him and she wasn't panicking at the thought of marrying Joey.

"Hey, uh... where's she living now anyway?" Angelo asked, wheeling himself back to his own desk in order to hide his face if she said something he didn't want to hear. "I heard her brother kicked her out."

"She's staying at mine," Charlie said, picking her pen back up.

Angelo swallowed and reached into his pocket to seek the item of comfort he'd brought with him to work today. He would certainly be needing it later.

"Like... permanently?" he asked, his voice a slightly higher than he meant it to be.

"I don't know," Charlie said. "We haven't really talked about the future. It's still very new."

Angelo nodded, very aware that Charlie and Joey had lived together before. He couldn't help but wonder how she could be so committed to one person and so afraid to commit to another all at the same time. He wondered if he might succeed in turning the tables by the end of the day.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Lunch time approached and Joey was having a whale of a time. She'd served a lot of customers, shared friendly banter with them and even managed to get them to buy some extras that they hadn't been looking for. She'd wiled away a fair amount of time talking to them about the delights of fishing and shared some of her experiences working away on the trawler. In a few short hours, she felt like she had really started to make her mark and she hoped that Alf would be pleased with her. Charlie had packed her some sandwiches as Joey had said she wanted to show willing by working through her lunch break. She hoped that this too would make Alf happy enough that he was willing to employ her for real. This was only a trial after all. Looking around, Joey picked up a broom in order to sweep the floor, not wanting to hang around looking lazy. She wanted to constantly be doing something, keeping busy. She paused mid sweep when she saw Angelo coming towards her. Gripping the broom handle a little tighter, she approached the counter and plastered a smile on her face.

"How can I help you, Officer?" she asked.

"It's Sergeant, actually," he told her with some pride.

She tried not to feel like he was looking down on her. He was the Sergeant of the local police force and she was on a trial run in a bait shop. It had crossed her mind more than once that a high flying cop such as Charlie should surely be drawn to him rather than her. She forced herself to picture Charlie's face and hear her words, telling her that she loved her and wanted to be with her.

"Sergeant," Joey corrected. "Planning on some fishing or something?"

"No," he replied.

Joey's heart sank. She didn't want him to be here. She didn't want to talk to him and have him trample on her day.

"What can I do for you then?" she asked, still smiling, although it was beginning to wear thin.

"I want to apologise," he told her.

She dropped the broom and stared at him.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry for spying on you and having a go at you," Angelo said. "It hurts that Charlie wants to be with you instead of me. I won't lie about that. I mean, you of all people know how it feels to lose someone as incredible as she is..."

Joey nodded and clasped her hands together.

"But I'm going to do everything I can to accept that she's moved on. I love her and I want her to be happy. I wish it was with me but at least it's with someone, hey?"

Joey nodded again. She swallowed a few times, somewhat taken aback. Of all the things she was expecting Angelo to say to her, this was not it.

"Well... um... thanks," she said. "I really appreciate it. I hope we can... well, I doubt you'll want to be friends as such but... acquaintances?"

He grinned broadly at her.

"That sounds good to me."

He reached a hand out to her. She shook it. They said goodbye and he wandered away. Still stunned, Joey picked up the broom again and continued with her chores.

* * *

Charlie met up with Ruby for lunch and excitedly told her that it looked like Angelo would leave her and Joey in peace from now on. Ruby stared incredulously at her.

"Seriously?" she asked. "He's wishing you happiness and stuff? That's so awesome!"

Charlie smiled and nodded.

"The way he's been behaving... I felt so sad about it," she said. "Because the guy I found falling out of a tree, wasn't the guy I care so much about. He wasn't the guy who took me on that lovely date when Roman was treating me badly. He wasn't the guy that was so cut up over killing Jack that he didn't even want to live. He wasn't the guy that was intent on doing everything he could to redeem himself..."

Ruby eyed her curiously.

"You don't still have feelings for him do you?" her daughter worried.

"No!" Charlie said quickly.

She pulled a face.

"No," she said. "I can promise you that the only person I ever want to be with for the rest of my life is Joey. She's my everything, my one and only, my soul mate."

Smiling to herself, she got quickly distracted with thoughts on the wonder of Joey. After a few moments, Ruby clicked her fingers in order to grab her attention back. Charlie blushed. Ruby laughed.

"What was your point?" the teenager asked.

"My point was that Angelo is a great guy," Charlie said. "I've always thought so. Even with all the Jack stuff, even with part of me hating him for killing such a good man and then lying about it... I still cared so much about him. And this last year when we've been on again and off again... the whole way through, I've cared for him. I've believed in him."

She sipped her drink.

"And now everything finally feels so clear in my head. Angelo is a wonderful man and I want him in my life. I want to be his colleague and his friend. I never want us to lose that. But the person I love, the only person I've ever loved, is a woman. It's Joey. And I want to commit myself to her. I want to share my life and my heart with her. Forever."

Ruby leant forward and hugged her.

"I hope you get what you want, Charlie," she said.

* * *

Angelo sat on the beach with his takeaway coffee. He gazed out to sea, keeping the bait shop in his line of vision. He felt confident that he had done the right thing. He'd apologised to Alf, Charlie and Joey and they had all taken it well and at face value. Sipping his coffee, he pulled the lighter out of his pocket. It had been left to him by his late grandfather and had always been an important part of his past. And now it was going to play an important part in his future. Turning it over in his hands, he studied the engraving 'AR' on the side of it. He'd been named after his granddad and his parents had wanted him to join the army, like all the men before him had. They'd been placated when he had become a cop instead but for a while there, he'd known he had disappointed him. And they had disowned him after Jack's death. The lighter was one of the few things he still had to hold onto. Standing up, Angelo finished his drink, tossed the empty cup into a bin and headed back to work.

The afternoon was busier for Joey than the morning had been and she really enjoyed it. Alf had stopped by just as she was serving a customer who had originally only come to have a look. The customer had told Alf that he had a gem working for him, something that turned Joey pink and made her feel extremely pleased with herself. And Alf was pleased with her too. She was looking forward to Charlie collecting her. The plan was to go out for dinner together and Joey was eager to tell her everything about her day. They had texted a fair amount, still being at the stage that they couldn't quite bear to be apart for too long. Joey certainly hoped that they would remain in that stage for a long while yet. This felt like the best second chance she had ever been granted.

With Watson and Charlie interviewing a thief they'd caught while out on patrol, Angelo took the moment to leave the station. He hoped nobody would notice his departure, just in case he needed an alibi, although he hoped it wouldn't come to that. Climbing into his car, he drove back towards the bait shop. He scouted round it, keeping out of sight of Joey who appeared to be writing some kind of advert on a chalk board. Fighting the urge to shut her in completely, he took a deep breath and stole inside, out of sight. Grabbing anything he could for kindling, he flicked his lighter and hurried away. From a distance, he watched the bait shop begin to burn.


	18. Chapter 18

_Hello everyone! Did you miss me! Well, I am back from my lovely holiday, ready to start posting again. The show really is going further and further to pot, isn't it? Well, at least we have all the fanfic that is posted on here. I hope you enjoy my latest offering. There are two more chapters to go after this and then I will start a new story for you. Drowningnotwaving figured out the premise and most of the plot and I wrote it, so I hope you enjoy that. But for now, let's see how Joey copes with the fire! Bad Angelo! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eighteen**

Joey was busy making things pretty in the bait shop when she smelt something strange. Turning around, her eyes widened when she realised the shop was on fire.

"Shit!" she squeaked, looking hurriedly around for something to put it out with.

She couldn't find anything and attempted to stamp it out. When she only succeeded in burning her foot, she continued to look for a fire extinguisher. Attempting to blow the flame with her breath for a moment, she stopped, called herself an idiot and then finally located a fire blanket on the wall. Shaking, she just about managed to open it up and smother the flames which, fortunately hadn't done too much damage. Some of the stock was a write off and the wall and floor were severely charred. It was unlikely that Alf wouldn't notice. Sighing unhappily and continued to stamp the floor to double check it was all safe again, she wondered what on earth she was going to do and realised with deep disappointment that the chances of her passing her trial run were now at a minimum.

* * *

Angelo sat in his car feeling stressed. He drummed his sore fingers on the steering wheel and tried to regulate his heartbeat. He'd assumed he would be soaring with triumph after he'd done he deed he'd planned on but he wasn't. It hadn't quite gone to plan. In his panic about getting caught, he'd burnt his fingers and dropped his lighter. Not only did the lighter mean a lot to him, it could also incriminate him. Now he just had to figure out how to get back there before anyone found him out. Knowing he couldn't show up at the shop again, at least immediately, he began to drive round in circles in a bid to clear his head.

* * *

Charlie finished work and drove straight over to the bait shop to see how Joey's day had gone. The texts she'd received suggested that it had gone well but she hadn't heard anything from her for a good couple of hours. Pulling into a parking space, she picked up the flowers she'd bought and climbed out of the car.

"Hey, sweetheart," she called cheerfully.

Her face fell when she saw the look on Joey's face. Putting the flowers on the counter, she gathered her into a hug and asked her what had happened.

"It was a disaster," Joey said unhappily, appreciating the cuddle. "_I'm _a disaster."

Charlie looked around at the damage.

"It'll be okay," she said, trying to stay positive. "All it needs is a bit of a clean and a lick of paint and..."

"Stock replacement," Joey pointed out sourly.

Charlie furrowed her brow.

"What exactly happened?" she asked.

"I have no idea," Joey said. "I was working and then I smelled smoke, turned around and..."

Charlie hugged her.

"We'll get it cleaned up before Alf gets back," she said.

Joey shook her head.

"He's due any minute," she said. "So much for my new job."

On cue, Alf walked into the shop. He paused mid-greeting as he surveyed the mess around him.

* * *

Angelo sat on the beach. Both Charlie and Alf had made their way into the bait shop already and he had as yet failed to get his lighter back. He'd stopped by half an hour ago as a customer and feigned concern over what had happened. But Joey had refused to let him inspect and therefore collect his lighter in secret. He knew Charlie would recognise it immediately if she saw it. All he could hope was that it was somehow out of the way. Perhaps he could break in and get it later tonight. Or he could stop by the morning. For now, he was stuck and his plan was unravelling.

* * *

"Mr Stewart, I am so sorry," Joey gushed. "I'm sorry. I don't know how this happened."

Alf looked worried as he studied the ashes.

"What _did _happen, Joey?" he asked.

Joey anxiously explained everything and then hung her head, waiting to be fired.

"It was just an accident," Charlie put in. "Maybe you could give her another chance. And she did put it out and..."

Alf looked up and studied the fear in Joey's eyes.

"You did put it out," he said. "And you've obviously been working hard to clean it up."

"I'll do more," Joey promised. "Out of my own pocket. I'll redecorate, I'll do anything you want."

Alf put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Whatever caused this," he said, "doesn't sound like it was your fault. And even if it was, you reacted well and saved the shop from burning down completely. So, let's just call this a temporary hitch and you can start work for real here in the morning."

Joey just stared at him.

"Are you serious?" she asked incredulously.

Alf nodded and smiled.

"But... the fire. I thought..."

"Joey, you handled yourself well today," he said. "I saw you with the customers. You did really well. Don't sell yourself short, okay?"

Joey glanced at Charlie who smiled encouragingly. She put her arm around her girlfriend.

"Thank you so much, Mr Stewart," Joey said.

"Please call me Alf," he replied. "I think you and I are going to have a wonderful friendship, Joey."


	19. Chapter 19

_This is the penultimate chapter so I hope you like it. One more chapter and I will start posting 'Far From Home'. But look out for it (if you want to read it) as I will be posting it as Ijustkeepwaving instead of through this account. It was a shared idea, after all! For now, I hope you enjoy the climax to this fic! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Shall we go for dinner then?" Charlie asked when Alf was gone.

Joey sighed and shook her head. Even though Alf had been understanding about the whole thing, Charlie knew that her girlfriend was unhappy and stressed.

"I want to stay and clean up," the former deckhand said. "Why don't you go and spend the evening with Rubes or something?"

Charlie put her bag down and her hands on her hips. She shook her head.

"Nope," she said.

Joey looked startled. She didn't want a debate.

"If you're cleaning up, I am too," Charlie said.

They grinned at each other and held hands.

"Where should we start?" Charlie asked cheerfully.

"Well, I need to sweep and then it'd be good if we could go out and get some paint," Joey said.

Charlie nodded and grabbed a broom. Suddenly, she paused and dug around in her bag. Confused, Joey asked what she was doing. Charlie put on latex gloves.

"This isn't going to get kinky, is it?" Joey smirked.

Charlie laughed and explained that assuming Joey hadn't caused the fire and that it hadn't been a case of spontaneous combustion, something untoward could have happened. Joey watched, astounded as Charlie pulled out a small, basic crime scene kit and used her phone to take photographs.

"Charlie, I'm sure nothing..."

"Hang on," Charlie said worriedly.

Carefully, she picked an object up and put it in a clear, plastic bag. She held it up to Joey.

"What's that?" her girlfriend asked.

She peered closer and realised it was a lighter. Her confusion grew.

"It's Angelo's," Charlie said.

* * *

Angelo had seen Alf leave the bait shop but neither Charlie nor Joey had followed suit. At a loss as to what to do, he opted to go for a drive in a bid to clear his head. All he could hope was that nobody found the lighter before he could retrieve it. It had all seemed so perfect but now he was furious with himself for potentially messing up worse than he could get out of. He'd escaped his misdeeds many times but this may well be one bad move too far. Annoyed, he bashed his hands against the wheel, accidentally hitting the horn and making a couple of pedestrians jump and give him the finger.

* * *

"What are you saying, Charlie?" Joey asked.

Charlie retained hold of the lighter, looking extremely unhappy.

"Well, it's a little bit suspect that Angelo's lighter showed up here on the same day as a random fire started," the Leading Senior Constable said.

"But... but he came by to..."

"He came by?" Charlie asked, alarmed.

Joey nodded.

"He apologised," she said.

Charlie sighed heavily and put the lighter down. She hopped up onto a counter and parted her legs so that Joey could nestle her hips between them and give her a hug.

"He apologised to me too," Charlie said. "I really thought he meant it."

Her voice was sad. And she felt like an idiot for harping on about how much Angelo's friendship meant to her and how happy she was that everything was working out at last. Suddenly his every gesture seemed hollow.

"You're disappointed," Joey said gently, studying Charlie's expression.

Her girlfriend nodded and hugged her a little tighter.

"I really wanted to believe in him," she admitted.

Joey rested her head against Charlie's body and sighed.

"I guess he's not as fine about everything as he led us to believe," she said. "Let's just hope he was just trying to get me fired... not trying to burn me alive!"

She laughed but Charlie looked horrified. Joey stroked her face and smiled affectionately at her.

"I could live without that kind of imagery," Charlie admitted. "The idea of anything happening to you..."

She shuddered. Joey held her hands and kissed her.

"Even if Angelo did start the fire," Joey said. "It doesn't matter. He hasn't won. He'll never win against you and me."

* * *

The evening certainly hadn't gone to plan. Charlie had called Watson and another colleague in to asses what she now believed to be a crime scene. The more evidence they gathered, the more it looked like the fire had been started deliberately. Having finally given Joey the all clear to start cleaning up, Charlie had sent one colleague off to explain everything to Alf while she and Watson attempted to track Angelo down. They knocked at his apartment door. They'd already gone to see him once but he hadn't been home. Now they were hoping for better luck.

"Doesn't look like he's back yet," Watson said after a few moments wait.

Charlie pressed her ear to the door and was sure she heard footsteps inside. Knowing it was a questionable move, she pulled out the door key she still had. Watson chose not to object as Charlie pushed the door open. Angelo, who appeared to have been making a bid to hide in the kitchen, froze, looking extremely guilty. Charlie glared at him. His face had already told her everything she wanted to know.

"Sergeant Angelo Rosetta, I'm arresting you on suspicion of arson," she said firmly, pulling out her handcuffs.


	20. Chapter 20

_And finally we come to the end of this story and I hope it finishes in a way that will make you happy. I will post my new story (as IJKW) next. It's called Far From Home and it's set back when Hugo abducted Charlie. – story by Drowningnotwaving and written by ijuskteepswimming. Anyway, I hope you might go and read it. And that you enjoy the conclusion of this story. Thanks so much for reading this one in the first place. Love always, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty**

One month later, things had changed fairly significantly in Summer Bay. With damning evidence against him, Angelo had been charged with arson. He'd subsequently lost his job and after a Doctor's assessment had labelled him with a dangerously obsessive personality, the initial court hearing judge had decreed that it would be better for him to be held in custody while he awaited his trial. The ex-sergeant had attempted to bargain with Alf to drop the charges but despite their friendship, Alf had been adamant. They were no longer friends. Angelo had tried to destroy his business, his livelihood, something he cared about. And he could have hurt at least one person in the process. Namely Joey.

From that day, the tide had turned. Led by Colleen, Summer Bay had made it clear that Angelo was not welcome. Colleen had even gone as far as apologising to Charlie and publically insisting that she had no problems with her swinging the other way. She had made an effort to get to know Joey, having missed out on being friends with her the first time around. At work, Charlie had been promoted to Sergeant and despite arguments with her brother, Joey had officially moved out and into Charlie and Leah's house. She and Charlie had become inseparable. Joey was still a little stunned to be with Charlie. She was a new woman. There was no hint of her being ashamed of being in a lesbian relationship. She was proud. And while Joey had struggled at first, afraid of getting her heart broken, she was proud too.

On top of that, Ruby had decided that there was now no reason for her to be living with Irene. She had enjoyed living with her but now that things were back on track with Charlie again, she had no qualms about moving back into her old house. Charlie and Ruby's relationship had fundamentally changed for good. They were sisters but there was now the element of a mother daughter bond that Charlie had always craved. They were still getting used to it but things were settled enough that the teenager felt happy about starting again. And she had no problem declaring, regardless of who was around, that she particularly loved the side to Charlie that Joey brought out when they were together. And she felt that Charlie was more fun, more relaxed and happier than she had ever been. It was nice to see her feel confident and sure of who she was and what she wanted in life.

* * *

Joey finished work at the newly refurbished bait shop and headed home in order to cook dinner for Charlie, Ruby, Leah and VJ. She had volunteered to make her speciality, at Ruby's urgent request. By all accounts, the teenager had declared in Joey's absence that no meal would ever match up to the one Joey cooked the night before Charlie and Joey had shared that so significant first kiss.

"Hey, sweetheart," Charlie said when she arrived home.

Joey stopped stirring her pot, turned, smiled, looked a little lewdly at Charlie in her uniform and hugged her. Charlie smiled, brushing her lips tenderly against Joey's. She still felt flattered by the way Joey looked at her and wondered how on earth she had ever got so lucky that a person as incredible as Joey Collins had fallen in love with her - twice. Their kiss immediately developed as they wrapped possessive arms around each other. Joey moaned softly as Charlie's lips found their way along her jaw and down her neck. She nudged her back against the counter as her lips and fingertips began to wander.

"I'm burning," Joey protested.

"Me too!" Charlie giggled.

Joey laughed loudly and extracted herself so that she could take care of her meal. Charlie shifted to stand behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist again. She resumed kissing Joey's neck.

"How am I ever going to get anything done while you're around?" Joey chuckled.

Charlie's hands snaked up from Joey's waist to her chest.

"You could get lots of things done," she purred. "Starting with me!"

Joey laughed, turned back around and kissed her.

"I would gladly do you all day long," she said. "But I did promise dinner for the whole family."

Sighing dramatically, Charlie kissed her one more time and then let her go, saying she was going to get showered and changed and hopefully decent for when they had company.

"Oh, hey," she added, as she moved to leave the room. "Are you free next Friday night?"

"Should be," Joey replied. "Why?"

Charlie dug into her pocket and pulled out a posh looking invitation. Joey's eyes widened.

"A posh dinner party?" she asked worriedly. "I'm not sure I can do posh..."

"It's just a police dinner thing," Charlie said. "Food, drinks, dancing, rubbing shoulders with the powers that be..."

"Yeah, I was with you until that last part," Joey told her uncertainly.

"You'll be fine," Charlie said. "Unless you really don't want to go. But I for one am very much looking forward to getting all dressed up and having the chance to show you off properly."

She grinned. Joey gazed at her for several moments.

"What?" Charlie asked worriedly. "I hope you don't think I'm trying to force you to..."

Joey swooped in and kissed her. When they finally came up for air, Charlie still looked confused. Joey beamed at her.

"Not that I object but... what was that for?" the Sergeant asked.

"You'd really be proud to be seen with me at something like this?" Joey asked.

"Of course," Charlie replied without hesitation.

"Even though I'm not... well, I don't have a posh career or... or that I'm a girl."

Charlie stepped forward and held both of Joey's hands.

"Joey, I love you. I want to share my life with you. And I'm proud of that. I'm proud of you. I'd like nothing more than to show you off to people, introduce you to my colleagues. I feel like finally, everything is falling into place now. I've got Ruby back. I've been promoted. I'm thinking of putting in for my Detective exam and I actually think I might get through it. And I've got you. The woman I've been in love with from the moment we met... well, you love me and you've taken me back even though I made so many mistakes. It's my dream come true."

She smiled shyly, feeling suddenly self conscious.

"So, um... would you come?"

"Try keeping me away," Joey smiled, moving in for one more kiss before Charlie skipped into her room to start getting ready for their family meal.


End file.
